Hugh A. Joyce thought James River Air Conditioning needed to “cut through the clutter” of bad economic news to spur customers to act and help keep the business going. Joyce’s “declutterer” was a $29 service-call offer during James River’s slack winter and spring season. “We thought about doing it for free,“ the company’s president said, “but that would be too cheap.“

To compete in the down economy, James River is focusing on three strategies, Joyce said:

• Pumping up its marketing and sales efforts. “The pie’s smaller,“ Joyce said, “so we’re marketing harder.“

• Listening better to clients. “We can always design something that fits in their budget.“

The possible collapse of a key lender is sending panic through the retail industry, threatening to hang up deliveries of back-to-school clothing and other merchandise and throw holiday ordering into disarray. A bankruptcy filing by CIT Group would hurl more trouble at an industry already hammered by the worst spending slump in decades.

SBA has big plans to ease credit crunch Q:I have heard that the government is finally providing some funds to assist struggling small business owners. Can you provide any details?—Cynthia L., Hanover Answer: The government is determined to make a big dent in the small-business credit crunch, according to the Small Business Administration.

The occasional chat between the owner of a convenience store and a customer turned into an idea—to market a special kind of Jerusalem marble in the United States. Eddie Wadi left his family in Palestine and moved to the U.S. in 1981. After living in New York City for several years, he followed the advice of a friend and relocated to Chester. He bought the Red Barn and Midget Mart convenience stores in Hopewell, both of which he still owns.

Looking for new opportunities, new markets or other help for your business? The city of Richmond’s minority business development office will host a free workshop, “Entrepreneur Express: Moving Your Business Forward,“ on Thursday at 4 p.m. The event will be held at the Richmond Public Library, 101 E. Franklin St. David Fuller, business-services manager for the Virginia Department of Business Assistance, conducts the workshop around the state.

Wanda King knew exactly where she wanted Lancaster Corp. to install the antique chandelier. She asked to have it placed over the freestanding four-footed tub in the bathroom of the stone house she was having built. But the workmen were leery of the request because of the building code. “I picked up the phone and called Leitch [Lancaster], and within an hour the chandelier was up, and it passed code,“ King said. “Leitch took care of it. That convinced me that he could do anything.“

Sean Cantrell, owner of Marshall Mechanical LLC. on West Leigh Street in Richmond, heard a presentation about using Twitter, the online social networking site, as a business tool. Cantrell went home after listening to David Saunders of Madison+Main, a new media and advertising firm, and discussed what he heard with his wife. He decided to try it out. He created a free Twitter account and got started. He posted “tweets”—a message that is up to 140 characters-long—on his Twitter page: SeanHVAC.

Employees: four full-time, including the owner
Owner: T. Leitch Lancaster III
  Location: 308 Randolph Square Parkway in Goochland County
Contact: (804) 784-9898 or http://www.lancastercorp.net

The business counseling group SCORE will hold a workshop Friday for people who want to start a business or operate an existing one better. So often, people have a wonderful idea and they want to begin a business immediately without the proper planning, said Fred Eyerman, chairman of local SCORE chapter. “Everything should start with a great plan,“ he said.

Sitting in his large Main Street office, family pictures adorning the walls, Doug Burford looks like a content businessman ready to close up shop and head out to the nearest golf course. But nothing could be further from the truth. “I don’t see myself slowing down,“ the 66-year-old Richmond ad man said. “I still get enthusiastic about new campaigns, and I love coming to work every day.“

Peter Wiesinger had survived two layoffs at Genworth Financial last year when he began to hear inklings of another round of cuts. Wiesinger liked Genworth but was concerned about his future at the company. So the then-vice president of marketing started quietly looking around. A recruiter soon came calling about a job at Mondial Assistance, which provides travel insurance and 24-hour emergency assistance to customers. Wiesinger made the move there in January to become vice president of market management.

As a way to help her children adjust to their new home, Liz Thalhimer asked artist Colleen Phelon Hall to paint custom murals for their bedrooms. “I wanted the adjustment to be fun for the kids,“ Thalhimer said. “I had seen Colleen’s murals in a pediatrician’s office and thought they were beautiful.“ Each of Thalhimer’s children’s bedrooms has a different theme. Her daughter wanted horses; her son preferred vehicles.

Temporary workers can be short-term fix Q:We need additional staff for our insurance agency but, in this uncertain economy, are reluctant to hire full-time employees. We are thinking about using temps. What is your opinion?—Jonathan S., Colonial Heights Answer: If you have a need for extra help but aren’t sure the time has come to hire additional full-time employees, temporary or contract workers can provide the ideal short-term solution.

Passion is crucial part of self-employment During the recession, I have spent several hours a week discussing the possibilities of self-employment with people who have found themselves unexpectedly among the unemployed. Frustrated by the lack of success at quickly finding another similar job and disappointed at the many years of faithful work simply disappearing into thin air, many eventually choose to look in a different direction and contemplate self-employment.