Lemonade Maker: Ken Gullette, Online Martial Arts Master

Ken Gullette, 56
Silvis, Illinois

In April 2008, after more than two decades in media and communications, Ken Gullette was laid off from his job at the University of South Florida. He decided to try turning his small side business—shooting and selling martial arts DVDs online—into a full-fledged company. Within several weeks, he had launched Internal Fighting Arts, a website that provides long-distance instruction in Chen Tai Chi, Hsing-I Chuan and Baguazhang to subscribers around the world.

You launched your business on the Fourth of July?
It was my metaphor for being independent of the man. The other day on IM one of my friends typed, “Oh shit, tomorrow’s Monday.” I thought, Yeah, tomorrow I get to work harder! When Friday comes I’m almost disappointed…

Plateauing is the New Climbing

Let’s face it. While there are some bright spots in the economy (spam, running shoes, gardening seeds, tanning products), most businesses are focused on just covering costs and keeping their business operational, or at least in a holding pattern until the economy works itself out.

To that end, Beth Schoenfeldt, co-founder and chief encouragement officer of Collective-E, which bills itself as an entrepreneur agency, offers these tips for keeping your business healthy through this bumpy ride. The upshot: use this time to hunker down and refocus:

Recession Concessions: Lost the Business, Keeping the Cleaners

Ryan M. Salinetti, 33
Suffolk County, N.Y.

Keeping: Cleaners
I’ve kept my cleaning people because I love them and I don’t want to see them suffer the way I have.

Letting Go: Employees, childcare, extras
I have a graphic design business [Breakwater Design Studio] that works with locals and local businesses. They did not just go into hibernation for the off-season—I drive down Main Street and see For Rent signs in the windows. There was a wine merchant who was doing excellent; I worked with him for six months on a website project and now he’s gone. Landscapers—their clients were V.P.s for Lehman Bros., and they were the first to get chopped. I do their graphics and marketing, so I got chopped next. It happened in three weeks. I had to lay people off. I gave up the idea that I could have a business, I moved everything home. It was horrible…

Looking for the Work Afterlife?

Want the skinny on launching a media startup? Tomorrow night I’ll tell the tale of how Recessionwire started, at the first Life After Digital event in Soho. We’ll be discussing our experiences and the opportunities we see in the post-digital era. Admission is free—and so are the drinks.

Also, registration begins today for LaidOffCamp NYC (May 1-2, 2009)…

Redux: Will Meals on Wheels be the Next Boom?

Looking back at the Great Depression to see the path ahead.

Will Meals on Wheels be the Next Boom?
A hot dog tale.

Good-bye filet mignon, hello meatloaf. As the recession rages, Americans are finding ways to chow on the cheap. Consumers are shifting food purchasing patterns. We’re trading down to private label and value brands. We’re eating out less, and getting more aggressive about buying products on sale. Fast food joints are luring us by including more premium items on their dollar menus. High end retailers like Whole Foods are feeling the heat as the organic revolution slows. Many of use are doing without that Starbucks latte.

Read more…