Atight economy can be a good time to start a business. Danielle Vallee, an Alexandria small-business consultant, pointed to a new Kauffman Foundation study that says that more than half of the companies on the 2009 Fortune 500 list and just under half of the 2008 Inc. list began during a recession or bear market. It supports the premise in her newly released book, “Whiz Biz in Changing Times,“ that economic downturns present new opportunities to start a business.

Rick Alvey’s passion for music serves as an inspiration for students at his Mechanicsville Music shop. Megan Adkins, 11, takes lessons there and is auditioning for the Richmond Youth Orchestra. She has been playing the violin since the second grade. “The people at Mechanicsville Music are the ones who encouraged Megan to pursue other avenues and try out for the orchestra,“ said her mother, Jennifer Adkins. “They knew it would end her lessons, but it was the next step.“

Bonnie Adelman delivered 10 cases of her homemade cheese spread to the Kroger store at The Shoppes at Bellgrade in Chesterfield County in late November 2006. By the end of the day, shoppers had snapped up all 120 jars. “We had nothing left,“ recalls her husband, Ron, of their inventory of Miss Bonnie’s Gourmet Pimento Cheese Spread. “Thanksgiving was the next day, but we had to postpone it [for ourselves] until Friday so that we could make more.“

I’m a big believer in skepticism. I don’t take things at face value. I know, for example, that 2+2=4. People who do math for a living tell me this is true, and I’ve seen it with my own eyes. So, if someone with shaky credentials shows up one afternoon and tells me that 2+2 really equals 6, I’m going to take it for what it’s worth, which isn’t much.

Out of the office? Use mobile technologies Q:I own and operate a small service business. It is necessary for me to travel and meet with clients on a regular basis. As a consequence, many necessary back-office functions are put on the back burner until I return. Any suggestions?—Timothy R., Sandston Answer: In business, time is money. Worse still, if you’re the only person who can make responsible decisions, business is at a standstill until you return.

Libby Brown called interior designer Betsy Gates Moore in 1999. Brown and her husband had started construction to turn Fowl Cay island in the Bahamas into a mini resort. They knew that all the furniture and accessories for the resort would have to be sent by barges. They wanted someone who could handle the project from beginning to end.

Richmond musician Scott Hudgins needed six stitches after he cut his hand while returning from an out-of-town gig. The hospital visit cost more than $1,000, but the 41-year-old guitarist works full time at Rostov’s Coffee & Tea on the edge of the Fan District.

John Glander and Robert Meadows of Professional Risk Associates Inc. understand the nuances of medical malpractice insurance. Their company has specialized in medical malpractice insurance for physicians and physician groups since Glander founded the firm in 1989. He started the company with one employee, Don Riley. The company employs 25 people, all of whom are now shareholders.

With startups, plan financial strategy Q:I want to start an auto-repair business. I have some savings but will need a business line of credit to tide me over until I can generate enough revenue to pay the bills and provide a steady income for my family. What are my options?—Daniel M., Colonial Heights Answer: A number of startup-capital options are available to aspiring entrepreneurs. The key is planning.

Henry Liscio still has the tri-wheeler bike he bought at Agee’s Bicycle Co. 41 years ago. The unusual vehicle is a prototype of a commuter bicycle designed and built in Japan for Schwinn. “It’s a very high-tech bike,“ the 56-year-old Liscio said. Over the years, Liscio has bought more than a dozen bicycles from Agee’s, everything from road racing to tandem models.

Jim Maxwell needed help to help boost public awareness of the United Virginia political-action committee through social media. As the group’s executive director, he enlisted the services of Compleo, a Richmond-based social-media consulting firm that specializes in branded applications on social-media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and MySpace.

Build customer loyalty with trustworthiness Q:We try very hard to cultivate and maintain customer loyalty. However, it seems that no matter how hard we try some customers seem to focus only on price. What does one need to do to get them to appreciate the value-added services we offer?—Jonathan S., Colonial Heights Answer: Your frustration is understandable, but no matter how hard you try, some people are price-conscious “bottom feeders.“

CIT Group Inc. said in a regulatory filing yesterday that it might have to file for bankruptcy protection if not enough bondholders participate in a recently launched debt exchange. The commercial lender offered the grim assessment only a day after major bondholders agreed to provide it with a $3 billion rescue loan. CIT, one of the nation’s largest lenders to small and midsize businesses, was forced to scramble in recent weeks to line up new funding as it faced mounting liquidity pressure amid upcoming debt maturities and as customers tapped their credit lines.

Jerry Clor runs advanced leadership training programs for longtime employees at Roche Laboratories Inc. in New Jersey. To help him, Clor relies on training products and other services from Henrico County-based Yukon Group Inc. “Our tenured employees need a sophisticated adult learning environment,“ said Clor, Roche’s manager of career training and development.

Dear PropellerHeads: Why do most of the Web addresses in your articles start with “bit.ly” and redirect me to other sites? Answer: The motive behind all those bitly this and tinyurl that addresses is saving space. It turns out that TinyURL (tinyurl.com) and Bitly (bit.ly) can take unwieldy URLs like http://www.data-directions .com/atp/Blog.aspx?page =windtunnel (our blog) and turn them into manageable URLs like tinyurl.com/n8eam5 or http://bit.ly/NoOXS.