The house next door boasts a new “Sales Pending” sign. One farther down the road just sold.

Sales at American Dream Hot Dog Carts Inc. in Florida were up 150% in January and revenue has tripled from a year ago at Nation’s Leasing Services in California, which depends largely on leasing hot dog carts. Meanwhile, white collar folk are selling hot dogs to replace or supplement income (Sarah Needleman, The Wall Street Journal).

Small companies win (Peter Bregman, Harvard Business Publishing) by passing on a sense of stability to customers in contrast to all the fear emanating from corporate America.

U.S. companies may be cutting costs and jobs, but the smart ones are positioning themselves for the rebound by holding R&D budgets steady (The Wall Street Journal).

The resourceful are not hunkering down. They are looking ahead and making smart choices.