I was discussing the current slowdown with a business owner recently and mentioned that now might be a good time to examine how efficient his business processes were and how they might be improved to gain maximum benefit from the eventual recovery. He responded with the comment that he needed to worry about the crocodiles that might devour his business rather than the mosquitoes that were just a nuisance.
Whilst he had a fair point, even mosquitos can be deadly. In business, their metaphorical equivalents can cause delays, increased costs, poor quality and damage to customer satisfaction. In short, it might be a good time to get out the fly spray. It's easier than you might think to do some DIY analysis, to make a few improvements and maybe design a new process or two, and all in the current relative calm before the storm of recovery. So why not give it a go?