Last week when I spoke at the nation's leading insurance symposium the giant company AIG was releasing the news that shocked the world and topped off the week's news about other giants in industry. While these are indeed times of great concern for some, the reality is that our economy is still in pretty good shape. In the travel industry people are still traveling, still spending money on weekend travel, holiday travel and will soon start to take holiday shopping trips. The biggest problem for us will come when we do not have faith in our economy, the people of this country and the way our economic system works.

The fact is that companies are still operating, still making money, still employing people and still growing. Marketing and advertising are turning the wheels of big companies, small companies, start ups and always will. There have been other tipping points in our economy when some saw the climate as challenging while others embraced it as opportunity.

Let yourself explore the opportunities. Look to better, smarter, more cost effective ways to market and get your message out to the target audiences. Believe in the power of positive outlook and work smarter to develop creative solutions.  Maybe it's just time to make a shift in your business and marketing strategy.

Embrace change and harness it's power to take the lead.

Leah