I drive down a very crowded NJ highway everyday to work and for the past 9 months I’ve been noticing a lot of local businesses closing their doors on both sides of the highway.  What’s scary is that its at a rate that I’ve never seen before.  Within in two weeks I saw 2 coffee/deli’s close, 1 nail place, and 1 pool store. 

Interestingly enough, a lot of people I talk too are “starting their own thing” because they feel that they can no longer provide a reasonable life for their families or because they’re in a financial pinch.

Being entrepreneurial is a good thing but when your being forced to do it, it can be a recipe for disaster.  I think we’ll see a flood of new shops and new businesses on my highway but I wonder how many are doing this as a “last ditch effort?”