Recessions are just about the worst thing that can happen to a whiner, but for closers recessions are business as usual. In fact, for closers times like these can be the best of times.

This especially true in small businesses and proprietorships, where turning on a dime is an everyday occurrence. And it's why small businesses, entrepreneurs, lead the way out of times like these.

You see, closers know that selling is a two sided affair. Closers have a knack for sniffing out the deal. but here's the catch: The deal they sniff out today may not be a perfect fit for buyer and seller.

Closers understand that potential sales exist all along the continuum that exists between what's for sale and what buyers are looking for. Sure, when a buyer wants exactly what a seller has for sale the deal is done. But closers know those deals are easy to make. Anyone can close those deals. In fact all that's required is an introduction, and there is little value in providing an introduction.

Lately I've encounterd a much greater than usual number of whiners. So many people I know and many I don't have lost their jobs. Some of the luckier whiners still have their jobs, but they're whining about pay cuts and longer hours. The luckiest whiners I know still have a job but whine about not getting a raise or a bonus.

Times are tough, but really, what's the point of whining about it? Wouldn't it be better to put that energy into looking for a job instead? Or how about using it to learn a new skill to sell on the open market?

Having an income, any income at all, that you yourself earned brings pride and a sense of accomplishment. All the whining in the world can't replace that.

An old acquaintance called me up a few weeks ago with a business proposition. He wanted me to come in as an investor in his business. I said I might be interested and agreed to meet with him to discuss it.

Since that time we've met on a few occasions. Our last meeting was just a few days ago. In each of these meetings the pitch has remained the same: I should buy in, because when this business takes off again in a few month's time it'll be a lot more expensive.

Now, when I'm presented with an "urgent" opportunity, the first thing I usually do is toss it into the round file. I couldn't exactly do that here. My fallback action is to ask questions.

A friend of mine is what you'd most certainly call a serial entrepreneur. He's created lots of businesses - talk

His latest thing is creating franchises. I'm not talking about Taco Bells or McDonald's franchises. People who run franchise businesses like these are in a lot of ways not much different from employees of the company itself. Not that it's necessarily a bad thing. Large companies who do business this way have their process down to a nearly exact science. If you follow the recipe, you're virtually assured of business success. That's why it's so hard, and expensive, to land one of these franchises.

The kind of franchise I'm talking about go back to the meaning of the term franchise itself. According to Wikipedia, the term franchise generally means a right or privilege. Selling rights is exactly what my friend the serial entrepreneur is doing. Here's how it works: