Fun Recession Activities!
Written by:
Jim Bouchard
Article Overview: What? Having fun with an impending recession on the way?
Why not?
I’ve survived recessions before and so have you!...
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Fun Recession Activities!
What? Having fun with an impending recession on the way?
Why not?
I’ve survived recessions before and so have you.
Fun Recession Activity #1…Watch reality TV!
I never in my life thought I’d be saying this, but check out an episode of The Kardashians or The Real Housewives of Orange County. Here are some wonderfully recession proof examples of how easy it is to waste a human life! Ever mired in the dual worlds of material plenty and emotional and spiritual dearth, you’ll enjoy the antics of these chronically dysfunctional people. Watch just a couple of episodes and you’ll say, “I’ll take my recession with a spoon full of sugar!” If you’re ever feeling bad about personal finance, just spend a few moments with people who have everything except success and happiness!
Fun Recession Activity #2…Improve Yourself!
This one really isn’t meant to be funny! When the s*#t is hitting the fan you it’s tempting to throw a lot of money at advertising and marketing, but who are you marketing to? If you sell “non-essential” goods and services, that’s anything any of us can live without for a while…that’s pretty much everything except food, shelter and heating fuel…you may be wasting time and money if you spend too much on trying to create new business during a downturn. Keep your name out there but also invest your time and money in training. Develop new skills, products and services that may be recession proof. Take some time to do serious business planning and prepare for new opportunities once the recession is over.
Fun Recession Activity #3…Invent New Stuff!
Repackage your goods and services. Develop new products and services. Find a way to make your goods and services more “essential.” Every disaster is full of opportunities. Millionaires were minted during the Great Depression.
The fact is that whenever we face any challenge we really have one of two choices:
1. Quit.
2. Keep Going!
“To be thrown upon one’s own resources is to be cast into the very lap of fortune, for our faculties then undergo a development and display of energy of which they were previously unsusceptible.”
Ben Franklin
Personally I’d have to say that all of my moments of success came from periods of equal or greater adversity. Maybe I’m a little dense, but I seem to do my best when there’s trouble! That’s the fighter in me I suppose. I’m nobody special, you’ve got it too!
I don’t know if we’re going to experience a recession, and frankly, I don’t care. I do my part, but I’m not going to single-handedly stave off any global or even regional economic downturn. Neither are you!
Whether or not this impending recession happens there will be those who quit, and those who keep going. Which will you choose?
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About the Author: Jim Bouchard
RSS for Jim's articles - Visit Jim's website
Martial arts transformed Jim's self-perception from that of a drug-abuser and failure to successful entrepreneur and Black Belt!
Speaker, media personality and author of Amazon bestseller THINK Like a BLACK BELT, Jim tours internationally to share his philosophy of Black Belt Mindset with coporate and conference audiences. He's a regular guest on radio and TV programs including FOX News, BBC Worldview and FOX Across America.
Click here to visit Jim's website

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Re: Need help in Team Building Activity..
- Team Building Activities are my favorite part. Last time our team was out for an expedition. We got a map and had to find the cave were we also slept and on our way there were other activities. It was an extreme team building and it was organized by a specialized company.
Re: Finding AND Keeping Good People
- Employee retention or as you mention “Keeping the Good People” is one of the biggest challenges for any growing business. It takes a huge effort from the entrepreneur’s end.
I can come up with the following when it comes to KEEPing the good people-
1. Motivation of the employees
2. Recognition of the needs of the employees
3. Activities to make the employees feel valuable towards the organization
4. Make benefits more accessible
5. Offer profit sharing incentives
6. Create clear career paths at the company
7. Consider telecommuting, job sharing and other flexible working arrangements
8. Incentives are essential and they don't have to be huge
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Information about doing franchise business in China
- CHINA’S FRANCHISE LEGAL SYSTEM
Introduction
Franchises has a history of more than one hundred years in foreign countries, now it has developed to be a mature business mode, and it is widely used in many countries, especially the developed ones. Recently, franchises has been developing fast in China, covering more than sixty industries and trades such as catering, retailing, clothes-washing, indoor decorations and gym. However, the market order of franchises is chaotic in some industries and areas. There are also some illegal and criminal activities under the guise of franchises. Under such circumstances, several important laws have been promulgated to regulate the commercial franchising activities.
Applicable Legislation
The main legislative provisions governing the commercial franchising in the PRC are:
the Measures on Administration of Commercial Franchises; and
the Measures on Administration of Archival Filing of Commercial Franchises; and
the Measures on Administration of Information Disclosure of Commercial Franchises
Qualification for Franchisors
According to the laws, the franchisors as those enterprises who own such business sources as registered trademarks, enterprise logos, patents and proprietary technology, and license these business sources to franchisees.
Firstly, the franchisors shall be enterprises, excluding other economic organizations and individuals.
Secondly, the trademarks which can be licensed to franchisees shall be registered trademarks. According to the Trademark Law, the trademarks, whether registered or not, are protected under the laws, though there is difference in the vigor and extents of protection. It seems that the Ministry of Commerce has restrictions in recognizing trademarks, since it only provides “own trademarks to be licensed to others” at large, which causes chaos in practice. In the cases relevant to franchising disputes which we provided legal service to, all of them involve the situation that the franchisors granted licenses of non-registered trademarks or the trademarks which were in application to others, and when there was infringement on trademarks, the franchisors were unable to prevent infringement on trademarks. Then the interests of the franchisees could not be realized. What’s more, franchising activities with non-registered trademarks also, to some extent, encourage commercial frauds.
Thirdly, the logos, patents and proprietary technology of enterprises are included in the business sources to be licensed to others for the first time, which enlarges the application scope of franchises and will improve the development of franchises.
Requirements to be Met in Carrying on Franchising Activities
In addition to the condition that only the enterprises will be allowed to carry on franchising activities referred to above, the franchisors shall also have mature business modes, and are able to provide business guidance, technology support and training. The enterprises which copy the manuals, websites and enlisting documents of others, and have no service abilities for providing business guidance, technology support and training shall be excluded. What needs pointing out is that even these enterprises that are allowed to carry on business may face with the suits claiming them for unfair competition and infringements on intellectual properties. In addition, the Measures clearly request that the franchisors shall operate at least two directly operated shops, and the period of operation shall be more than 1 year, which aims to prevent frauds by the way of franchising.
Information Disclosure Requirements and Regulation on Franchisors
Information disclosure system is the core system of franchising. The laws provides that the franchisors shall establish and implement a perfect information disclosure system, and provide the relevant information and franchising contracts in written form, at least thirty days before execution of franchising contracts. It also sets out the specific provisions on the information which shall be provided by franchisors, including the basic conditions and commercial reputation records of the franchisors and their legal representatives, business sources owned by franchisors, abilities of franchisors to provide service to franchisees and management and supervision on business of franchisees, franchisee fees and the payments, and budgets for investment in franchising shops. To the franchisors that violate these provisions, the authorities in charge of commerce will order them to rectify, charge penalties and make public statements.
Archival Filing and Public Announcement Systems
To protect the franchisees’ lawful rights and interests, considering the asymmetric information between franchisors and franchisees, in addition to intensifying information disclosure requirements and regulating the activities of franchisors, the Measures also bring in the archival filing and public announcement systems. The Measures provides that the franchisors shall make a filing with the commerce administrative department within 15 days after the execution of franchising contracts for the first time. Anyone who intends to engage in any commercial franchise activities within a province, autonomous region, or municipality directly under the Central Government shall go through the archival filing formalities in the commerce administrative department of the people’s government of the province, autonomous region, or municipality directly under the Central Government where the franchisors are located. Anyone who intends to engage in any commercial franchise activities beyond a province, autonomous region, or municipality directly under the Central Government shall go through archival filing formalities in the commerce administrative department of the State Council. Any franchisor having been engaging in franchise activities before May 1, 2007 shall apply for archival filing at the commercial administrative department.
The Ministry of Commerce has established the national network for archival filing work relating to commercial franchise. Any franchisor shall go through the archival formalities through the government website. The general public may obtain the following information through the government website of the Ministry of Commerce: (1)The registered trademark(s), enterprise mark(s), patent(s), know-how and other business resources of the franchisor; (2)The franchisor’s archival filing date; (3)The location of the legal business place, contact information and name of the legal representative of the franchisor; and (4)The location of the business place of the franchisee(s) within China.
The authorities in charge of filing will cancel the archival filing if there is any following activities of franchisors, and make public announcement on the government website: (1) the business licenses of the franchisors have been withdrawn by the registration administrative authorities for illegal business; (2) the authorities in charge of filing receive judicial suggestion letter on cancellation of archival filing from the judiciary for illegal business by franchisors; (3) the franchisors conceal the relevant information or provide false information, which has been proved; (4) the franchisors carry on cancellation by themselves. In addition, the illegal activities of the franchisors will be announced to the public.
By Erex Chen, a Chinese lawyer based in Shanghai.
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