I've been a blogger for a few years now and there are times I wonder what the heck I'm doing.

These moments occur when I read stupid, vitriolic, comments that add nothing to the conversation. In fact, some comments seem to send us all back to the dark ages.

When a comment is particularly bigoted or obscene, I have chosen to hit the delete button. But for the most part, I publish most every one of my readers' comments because I don't want to censor the discussion.

Today, however, I want to focus on the positive. I've decided to republish some of the best, most thoughtful comments in a blog post looking back at 2008.

My post on how one small business owner was planning on firing a worker who supported Obama got a lot of great comments:

My father, who lived through the Great Depression, always said he didn't mind paying taxes as long as he was earning money. I feel the same way.

We were all better off, though, when we could depend on the Democrats to promote fairness and the Republicans to promote economic sanity.
-- John Henson, Austin, Texas

Entrepreneurial life after being laid off from the troubled financial sector was the theme of a blog post that got business owners sharing their own success stories:

I used to work in a big engineering office doing engineering work. Then, I started my own business, pretty soon earning 2x doing part-time what I make in one month in my day job. My clients piled up and pretty soon, I had to make a choice between keeping my "security blanket" day job, or going solo. I went solo. Income shot up from 2x to about 7x. Been doing this now for 8+ years. But I miss engineering... so I started a side business related to engineering. (Shhhh.... don't tell the boss :) That little side business in my spare time will make about $70K by the end of this year. Next year, I estimate it to double.

So folks... do your homework, start your own business and be "independent". Sure, the risks are high, work is hard, but rewards are also high. Not just financially, but other intangible rewards as well. For example: Me and my wife watched and got to be with our daughter at home until she went to school.
--ElectricalGuy

Overcoming tragedy and going on to become successful was a topic that got lots of readers sharing their own moving stories:

In February of this year, I lost my 23 year old daughter, Heather, to brain cancer after a 2 1/2 year battle with the disease. I returned to work one week after her funeral and have been amazingly doing OK. I know deep in my being that Heather would be disappointed in me if I had given up or succumbed to my grief. During her illness she always encouraged me to be strong (while she was the one suffering) and would get angry with me if I gave up on life. I learned a lot from her bravery during many surgeries and rounds of chemotherapy. I feel empowered now to carry on with my life and keep going forward in spite of out tragedy. Yes we are sad and cry often and miss her terribly, but we do move on and appreciate every day as a gift.
-- Holly Caron, Winslow, Maine

Being alive for some years usually means that you will experience a great sadness of some sort or another, one that you will either never get over, or find it hard to do so.  It is a part of life to experience loss and see or experience suffering.  What you do about it or with it is what really counts.  May peace find all those who need and seek it.
-- Irene, Rancho Mirage, CA

I think that's a great sentiment for the New Year.

See how small businesses can save money by launching health initiatives in the workplace. Wheeler Interests in Virginia Beach, VA was named one of the country's fittest companies by Men's Fitness magazine. Owner Jon Wheeler gives employees free access to an on-site gym, pays for smoking cessation programs, and provides healthy lunches in the workplace. Employees are also entitled to blood pressure screenings and cholesterol checks. Wheeler Interests doesn't have sick or vacation days, and the company says it saves $10,000 a year on each employee.

Panelists:

--Vincent Ashton, Executive Director of HealthPass, a non-profit organization which helps small businesses obtain health care for employees.

--James Barood, Executive Director of the Rothman Institute of Entrepreneurial Studies Silberman College of Business at Fairleigh Dickinson University.

--Farnoosh Torabi, Senior Correspondent for investing web site TheStreet.com, and author of "You're So Money: Live Rich, Even When You're Not."

How To Succeed in Small Business: Sales Strategies in a Recession

Michael Port, author of "The Contrarian Effect: Why It Pays (Big) to Take Typical Sales Advice and Do the Opposite" provides some tips on how to boost your sales even in the worst economic periods.

Elevator Pitch

Phil Micali, founder of bWell-informed, an interactive and personalized on-line learning experience to help people understand their health insurance options better, is looking for capital to increase IT support and server capacity.

Can a venture capitalist run the Small Business Administration?

Barack Obama seems to think so.

Last week, Obama tapped Karen Gordon Mills, president of MMP Group, a private equity investment firm in Brunswick, Maine, to lead the SBA.

Here are some thoughts on Mills from small business experts and advocates:

"Hopefully, as a Harvard Business School graduate, Ms. Mills will demand more accountability from SBA programs. 

"This department has been more fluff than action and according to our surveys has not served small businesses well. By this we mean that 47 percent of respondents said they had not been successful in obtaining help or viable options from the SBA in the past. 

"For the average, successful small business, the SBA offers little in the way of viable information or support. The hoped-for emphasis of the Obama administration on the middle class, in which most small business managers fit, may change this lack of focus and follow-through."
-- Donald Mazzella, publisher of Small Business Digest.

"We look forward to working together with Administrator Mills.  In these difficult economic times, it is more important than ever for the SBA to refine, restructure and implement programs that will help America's small business owners do what they do best – grow their businesses and create jobs, and thus help guide America out of this economic downturn.    
 
"We hope that the administrator will begin to focus the agency's efforts toward our established businesses, helping them with the technical assistance they need to grow, rather than focusing on starting businesses.  Since 2001, the SBA has undergone a 27 percent budget cut, hampering it from providing the very programs that will help our economy the most.  
 
"Her challenges are our challenges, and working together we can make a difference."
-- Barbara Kasoff, President and Co-Founder of Women Impacting Public Policy

 "President-elect Obama's decision to name an SBA administrator so early in the transition is a good sign for small businesses. This appointment shows that his economic team recognizes the key role that small firms play in job creation and the need to take quick steps to revitalize the agency's role in spurring growth.
 
"Through budgets cuts and mismanagement during the last eight years, the SBA has become nothing more than a shell of the agency it used to be.  Reversing this course is essential, and I look forward to working with the new administrator to accomplish this during the next four years."
-- Nydia M. Velázquez, D-N.Y.,, House Small Business Committee Chairwoman

"Advantages: In general venture capitalists help small companies grow, and that bodes well for her.

"She is not a career politician.  By nature the Small Business Administration exists to assist small businesses, and not all politicians can relate to the small business owner.

"Obama likes 'green energy,' and by picking Mills she may have a good understanding of the nuances of this field.

"Venture capitalists by very nature are risk takers, and it is an extremely competitive business. This administration may need to take some risks to help this very important component of the economy.

"Disadvantage: Most small businesses are 'mom and pop' and will never get venture capital nor want it. She may have a hard time relating to these truly 'small' businesses."
-- Scott Testa, a consultant who teaches marketing at St. Joseph's University in Philadelphia

What do you think of Obama's choice?

Santa's Plan provides a helpful example of a business plan. Check out Santa's competitive advantages such as having low price points and elves willing to work for minimal pay. The site was created by the founders of Businessplanadvice.com.

1. Package deals

2. Soften return policies

3. Personalize your offerings

4. Build relationships with customers

5. Buyer incentive programs

Source: Allbusiness.com

Mickey Donatello, a co-owner of two restaurants in Wilmington, Del., has noticed a "bizarre" phenomenon -- the job candidates he's been interviewing recently are actually qualified.

"Up until about four months ago, whenever we interviewed people it was like you were just replacing one standard employee with the next, but never stepping up, especially with skilled labor, like sous chefs or chefs," said Donatello, who owns Lucky's Coffee Shop and the Corner Bistro. "But now we're seeing guys that are qualified, almost over-qualified."

This is the positive side to a pretty grim jobs picture. With so many companies scaling back, or shutting their doors, there is a growing pool of talented people who are looking for work.

And entrepreneurs like Donatello are benefiting.

The unemployment rate has hovered at record levels lately, and that has naturally led to more people out there hitting the job-seeking pavement -- some pretty good people it turns out.

"Stronger candidates are now applying for retail positions due to the softening economy and increased layoffs," said business consultant Eric Herrenkohl. 

However, he added that businesses "are closely watching their payroll expenses in this environment and are hesitant about making expensive hires."

His recommendation to business owners and managers is to build a strong funnel of job candidates. As they cut expenses, and poorly-performing current employees, they'll have room to selectively hire strong, talented people who will bring value to their companies.

That's just what Donatello is doing.

Right now, he's in the market for several cooks, but he's taking his time and being selective. While business is holding steady at his coffee shop, the bistro has seen a decline of about 10 percent. But he considers himself lucky given how other establishments are faring.

"I can sit back and be picky," he said about finding the best employees.

Recently, Donatello put an ad in the paper and one on Craigslist for a server. A guy showed up who had been a manager at a small chain of restaurants nearby.

"He can't go out and find a management job. It's just not out there," Donatello said.

The current environment is a far cry from last year when he held a job fair at Lucky's and got a pretty crummy showing of applicants.

"It was comical," he explained. "We were desperate to find people. None of the people we hired from that are even with us anymore. They were that bad."

Sometimes one man's feast is another man's famine.

What are you all finding? Is it easier to find qualified help these days?

Also, have you noticed service in restaurants or retail shops is getting better?

Share your thoughts.

Small Business Economic Outlook for 2009
William Dunkelberg, chief economist for the National Federation of Independent Business, and Professor of Economics at The Fox School of Business at Temple University, and Patricia Greene, Professor of Entrepreneurship at Babson College, discuss the state of the economy and how it will affect small business owners in 2009.

Small biz: The next generation

When Marcia Ceppos inherited Tinsel Trading from her grandfather, she set out to change the way the classic Garment District trim shop was run. See how she revitalized her customer service, storefront, and collaborated with her customers to reinvent her busines and bring it into the 21st century.

Panelists:

--Greg Alexander, CEO of Sales Benchmark Index, a strategic advisory firm.

--Max Ramberg, serial entrepreneur and President of The Hummingbird Group, a real estate investment company.

--Phil Town, partner in the private equity firm Oracle Equity and author "Rule #1."

Family business retrospective:

We'll catch up with 3 family businesses profiled in earlier editions of Your Business.

Kelvin Washington, owner of a hair care product company in Cincinnati, Susan and Paul Flack, owners of Bridge Street Toys, and Tariq Farid, CEO of Edible Arrangements, each discuss how their businesses have grown since we last spoke with them.

1. Microloans

2. Community Banks

3. Peer-to-peer lending sites

4. Special programs, such as for veteran-owned or monority-owned businesses

5. Network

Source: Nuwireinvestor.com

Savorthesuccess.com is a social networking site that connects female entrepreneurs. Members can take part in online discussions, networking events, and eductional seminars. Local chapters can be found all over the country.

Recently we decided to take the kids to the Museum of Natural History in Manhattan and we encountered parking hell.

Since I'm a native New Yorker, I pride myself on never having to pay for parking and lately we're trying to be more budget conscious, but on this particular weekend my frugalness caused a big fight with the hubby.

I was circling the neighborhoods near the museum looking for someone who was pulling out of a primo spot, and my husband kept insisting I just pull into a parking lot. He had to go to the bathroom but I just couldn't bring myself to drop $40 plus for a lot.

Turns out, a young entrepreneur's recession-busting idea could have saved us all some grief.

Ben Sann, 20, runs BestParking.com. It allows customers to scan the parking lot prices in four major cities and figure out which ones have the best deals.

Sann just won the distinction of one of the top ten home-based businesses in the "recession buster" category in a contest conducted by small business website StartupNation and Microsoft Office Live Small Business.

(Msnbc.com is a joint venture of Microsoft and NBC Universal.)

You know things are bad when contests start including a "recession" category.

But I digress.

Sann's business has been booming despite the bad times. His sales this year have already hit nearly $250,000. And unique visitors to his site are up 80 percent in the last three months.

So far his service tracks parking rates in New York, Philadelphia, Boston and Washington DC. But his plan is to expand it to San Francisco, Chicago and Los Angeles in 2009.

So why is he doing well in a recession?

"Parking companies are struggling and need to find ways to boost revenues," explains Sann, so they sign up to provide rates via his service.

"And consumers are coming to us because of the recession," he adds.

Of the ten recession-busting firms that made the top ten, there were a few things these entrepreneurs had in common, says Rich Sloan, cofounder of StartupNation.

"They all leveraged the value of the web for their businesses and many used online marketing techniques," he says. "They were also very focused on caretaking their customers, addressing concerns of customers and going the extra mile for them."

Here's a link to the other busters.

For all of you small firms out there struggling, Sloan suggests some things you can do that successful companies are adopting right about now.

Do what you can do deflate your fixed costs, including looking at your business more as specific projects that have to be done. So that would mean you hire more contractors to do individual jobs instead of having to pay lots regular salaries when times get tough.

Sann has two full-time programmers on staff, one full-time rate input person, and part time rate collectors in each city. Other than that it's just he and his dad who run the show.

The idea for the service came to him after watching a Seinfeld episode where George had trouble finding a parking space.

This kind of how-do-you-solve-a-problem thinking is what separates great entrepreneurs from the rest of us.

There I was driving around New York City, having a screaming match with my husband because I just wouldn't park the car already, and all I came out of that with was a headache and angry husband.

Do you all have any great recession-proof business ideas, or marital advice?

Small Biz Makeover

"Your Business" helps a small business owner who is suffering from the credit crunch. Unable to get a loan or any angel investments, Susan Knapp, founder of A Perfect Pear, a gourmet condiment company based in Napa Valley, is draining her retirement fund and has taken out a home equity loan to keep her business afloat. We'll follow special contributor Rieva Lesonsky, founder of the consulting firm SMB Connects, as she gives Susan advice and helps her get her business back on the right track. Susan will also take part in a panel discussion and get some more tips on how she can grow her business.

Panelists

Norm Brodsky, Inc. Magazine columnist and co-author of "The Knack: How Street-Smart Entrepreneurs Learn to Handle Whatever Comes Up."

Rieva Lesonsky, CEO of SMB Connects, a provider of information, data, decision support tools and research for and about America's small and midsize businesses.

How To: Laying Off Employees in a Recession

Larry Winget, workplace expert and author of "It's Called Work For a Reason!: Your Success Is Your Own Damn Fault," provides some tips on how to go about the difficult task of laying off staff during a recession.

Learning from the Pros

Magic Johnson, basketball great, successful entrepreneur, and author of "32 Ways to Be a Champion in Business," shares the secrets that have helped him build his business empire.

Elevator Pitch

Tami Cimperman, CEO of Foxyware, pitches her line of rhinestone embellished glassware and barware in the "Your Business" elevator. Tami is looking for capital to invest in product development, retail packaging, marketing, sales teams, and trade shows and advertising.

1. Employees work from home

2. Share your staff

3. Cash only

4. Cut back on travel when possible

5. Creative marketing tactics such as employee blogs

Source: Inc.com

Biz2Credit.com is a free resource that connects small business owners to potential lenders. Just plug in your company's information, and the site will provide you with a number of lenders that match your needs.

I'm going to confess to you all that I have a really bad back. I can throw it out at a moment's notice. Play boxing with my son, or taking a fork out of the dishwasher are all potential back land mines.

But for me the biggest back buster is high heel shoes. I know, women are insane for wearing stilettos, but I love the way nose-bleed shoes look. Alas, my back hates them.

So, it's little wonder that my interest was piqued when I got an e-mail from a source at entrepreneurial business school Babson College who told me a group of undergrad students has come up with a high-heeled shoe with a retractable heel.

Brilliant! And in this economy it seems like shoes are the only things selling. Did you see that one of the most purchased products in Cyberspace this past weekend was women's boots, up 203 percent in sales over last year.

I figured I'd talk to some of the students responsible for this brilliant fashion idea, and they ended up bursting my bubble a bit.

A high-heeled shoe with a retractable heel (image by Jane Jung)

The students involved are taking undergraduate product design and development courses at Babson College, Olin School of Engineering and Rhode Island School of Design. The shoe innovation was basically part of a year-end project for some of these students and there are no concrete plans to bring the shoe to market, much to my chagrin.

I spoke with Jane Jung and Anna Slavin, business students from Babson, who were part of the project.

Jung told me she had an idea to stop carrying around flats and flip flops when she wore high heels, and the student team came up with a great concept -- high-heel shoes that transform into flats, addressing the perennial problem of feet that hurt after a night out in high heels.

Makes sense.

"We don't think we're going to market it, unless the opportunity arises," Jung said.

There's hope.

I think there's an opportunity here. I would consider buying something like that to give my back a break.

The students are going to present their prototypes on Thursday at the Rhode Island School of Design's Chase Center Auditorium.

Here are some other interesting products the students came up with that will also be on display:

--A better carry-on suitcase that reduces the load on your wrist and features compartments with improved accessibility.

--An intelligent device that reduces vampire power consumption from regular home appliances, such as computers and TVs, when they are in "sleeping mode."

--An improved bicycle storage system that enables easy deployment and configuration for municipalities and companies.

--An easy-to-use cell phone, featuring a better-to-read display, an improved user interface, and ergonomic design.

--A better refrigerator, featuring round turning shelves and a new form factor.

--A system that facilitates in-home recycling, enabling the effortless separation, collection, and disposal of recyclable materials.

--An easy-to-use laptop power adaptor that accelerates the process of packing and unpacking the power cord and provides a better aesthetic solution.

All of these ideas sound promising, but these budding entrepreneurs got me thinking about whether they even ponder what's going on in the world outside the walls of academia.

Is the recession even on their radar screens?

"It hasn't come into play in our discussions," said Slavin. "The class is more focused on finding a problem and finding a solution for it."

Oh, if only life were that simple.