Watching what's going on in the news these days, it seems our economy is headed for hard times. The economy is now the number one issue in American's minds and with good reason. Today, the Federal Reserve, confronted by increased fears of a recession, cut a key interest rate by three-quarters of a percent before the markets opening bell. And when the U-S stockmarket open today, it quickly fell over 450 points within minutes.   It's rebounded a bit and is expected to continue its rollercoaster ride throughout the day but the interest rate cut by the Federal Reserve failed to assuage investors fearing a recession in the United States. 

Around the world, exchanges in London, Asia, and elsewhere closed down between 4 and 11 and a half percent in Monday's session. Blame for these drops is falling directly at our American doorstep. Government officials and economists around Asia tagged the selling to recessionary fears, while expressing lingering hopes that their region's economies would not suffer quite as much in the months ahead.

The government led by President George W. Bush is trying to head recession off. Last week, Mr. Bush offered his ideas on how to fix the economy, but he's leaving it up to the U.S. Congress to provide the actual stimulus package. Congressional leaders are due back at the White House today to talk about the Mideast, but discussion there is also expected to center around the economy. Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson also spoke this morning, saying "The U.S. economy is resilient. The unemployment rate remains low and job creation continues, albeit at a modest pace. The structure of our economy is sound and our long term economic fundamentals area healthy."  And with today's inter-meeting rate cut, it seems obvious the Fed seems worried, too.

All of these uncertainties make us at gibLink.com very concerned, but we're also feeling pretty good about the future. Let's look at what we've got to be grateful for. We're helping entrepreneurs and home and small businesses advertise their offerings. We're helping these types of one-man (or woman) band operations and businesses to grow and succeed.

Let me tell you a little about those businesses. Small business represents 99.7 percent of all employer firms and about half of all payrolls. U.S. Census estimates are that home-based businesses may range from 18 million to 38 million. Fifty percent of American households are involved in home-based businesses. And how successful can a home-based business be? 70 percent survive over 3 years, compared to the opposite being true for start-ups outside the home: 71 percent of those fail, according to the Home-Based Business Institute.

And they are bringing home the bucks, too. Entrepreneur magazine estimates that $427 billion is generated annually by home-based businesses. That's more than General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler all put together.
 
The Treasury Secretary had this to say about our troubled economy: "We need to do something now, because short-term risks are clearly to the downside, and the potential benefits of quick action to support our economy have become clear."  But what can individuals do on their own?  We think gibLink answers that question.  We're proud because we're helping people do it on their own terms, on their own time, and at their own speed. Hardwork with a giblink.com business is rewarded.  We know you can succeed here.  It may take some time, a bit of elbow grease and even a little grey matter, but we're seeing success stories every day here at gibLink.com. If you need tips and ideas, you can find it on the message boards. If you need training on how to utilize the website's offerings, it's available here. When the horizon looks cloudy like this, those around us---friends, family, and even total strangers will look around for home-based businesses that provide ways to make extra money. You can help them find answers to their problems, too.

Hard times are always around the corner. And this dip may not be over. Bill Conway, a founder and investment guru at the private equity firm, The Carlyle Group, quoted in the Washington Post last week: "We are nearer the beginning than we are the end . . . The economy is going to be relatively weaker, at least for another year, than it has been the last five years. There are very significant problems ahead."

So let's leave the doom and gloom talk here at the gate because giblink is where people make connections that count and some of those connections could fill in the cracks in the months to come.