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July 16, 2009

A Forum for Resiliency

A Forum for Resiliency

Marcy Shinder

GM, Business Charge Cards, American Express OPEN

Summary

Entrepreneurism is not a career; it’s a mindset.  This is what I’ve come to realize after speaking with the many business owners I come into

Entrepreneurism is not a career; it’s a mindset.  This is what I’ve come to realize after speaking with the many business owners I come into contact through American Express OPEN.  It’s part of what I love about my position – the opportunity to meet and learn from entrepreneurs.  Your stories are truly inspiring.

That’s why I wasn’t surprised when I learned that 37% of the entrepreneurs surveyed for our Small Business Monitor (April 2009) said that the current economic environment is actually creating opportunities for their business.   A recession presents challenges, but entrepreneurs are used to challenges.  Many thrive on them.  

When I've asked what it takes to be more resilient in this economy, business owners have told me that it takes leveraging tools, resources, and connections.  With that in mind, we designed the new OPEN Forum to have more of the information and resources that can help you.  And more, we want to create an environment where you can help each other.  We understand that a powerful contributor to growth is the ability to share insights and opportunities, so we developed the new ConnectodexSM to help you search and find other companies that you can connect to and perhaps partner with.

In addition to the Connectodex, we’ve developed other new features, such as “Ask the Members" which enables you to pose a question directly to other members of the site.  We’ve also added more content across a wider selection of topics, collected under the umbrella of the “Idea Hub.”  We hope that you find the new OPEN Forum to be just that – a place to make connections and exchange ideas to help grow your business. 

We also hope that you’ll send us your insights and stories of resiliency so that they might inspire others. Please e-mail me at marcy@openforum.com. I also invite you to follow me on Twitter @marcyshinder.
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