Keep It Goin' Don't let high interest rates squelch your growth plans.

Are rising interest rates causing you to rethink growth? Thatcould be a mistake. If profits are healthy and financing rates aregood, then borrowing for expansion is probably worth it, sayexperts.

"A thin-margin business may have to be conservative, butone with fat margins should keep moving forward," says MarcKramer, author of Small Business Turnaround: Revitalize YourStruggling or Stagnant Enterprise (Adams Media Corp.).

George A. Cloutier, chair and CEO of American ManagementServices Inc. of Waltham, Massachusetts, agrees, though heoffers a caveat: "With rising interest rates, you need to makesure this money will make good money for you," says Cloutier,who helps small and midsized companies improve profitability.