Some of us are still in shock after the devastating events of
September 11. Others, like my friend Jane Applegate, have been
moved to action. After a series of breakfasts she was hosting was
cancelled due to the attacks, Jane, a journalist and entrepreneur,
had one of those middle-of-the-night epiphanies, and Back on Track
America was born.
Magazine deadlines being what they are, I'm writing this
column before November 13, the scheduled date for Back On Track
America's (BOTA) take-off from Washington, DC's Union
Station on an Amtrak train bound for New York City. If things have
played out as planned, the first of a series of BOTA workshops and
town hall meetings was held there on November 15. For the next six
months (through May), BOTA will be hosting similar events
throughout the nation for you to work with experts to refine the
skills you need for starting and growing your business. Check out
the sidebar above for the current schedule. And check back on our
Web site, over the next few months;
Entrepreneur is a BOTA sponsor, and we will be keeping you
informed throughout the journey.
Speaking of getting back on track, how are you doing? It's
the last month of a truly horrible year for many of us. The dotcom
collapse, rising unemployment rates, an unstable world and national
economy, the terrorist attacks and the ensuing anthrax scares have
all contributed to a shaky national psyche. While it's still
important to get back to business, as I said last month, I fear
business as usual is a long way off.
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But we Americans are hearty folk. We will continue both to start
new businesses and to grow the ones we have. And we'll need
resources to do it right. That includes employees, money,
equipment, software, vehicles and the like, of course. But that
also includes information.
In this issue of Entrepreneur, we bring you our look at
2002. Not only do we tell you what businesses will be booming next
year, but we also look at new markets and new methods of doing
business. Plus, there's a host of experts chiming in with their
forecasts for the year ahead.
September 11 marked the beginning of an age of uncertainty for
most of us. We don't pretend to have all the answers here at
Entrepreneur. But we will continue to offer solutions for
the challenges you face daily. Several years ago, former President
Clinton called entrepreneurs the "engine that drives the
economy." After all, you are the folks who helped dig us out
of the last recession. And hopes are high you'll do it again.
So in 2002, we'll bring you more of what you need to grow your
businesses, the smart way.
This will be a markedly different holiday for many of us. Like
you, we at Entrepreneur hope to find comfort and peace this holiday
season.
Keeping track: Back on Track America may be coming to your city.
Here are some tentative dates: Chicago, 12/10; Indianapolis, 12/12;
Cincinnati, 12/13; Louisville, Kentucky, 12/15; San Francisco,
1/13; San Jose, California, 1/14; Los Angeles, 1/16; and San Diego,
1/18. For information on Back on Track America, go to www.backontrackamerica.com or visit www.entrepreneur.com/backontrack.