The new year is certainly off to a positive start best we can tell. People are clearly back to investing in growing their businesses. We have seen a healthy uptick in inbound calls, leads, RFP's, etc. Very exciting for a small business like ours.

If you're a small business owner, you've got to be thinking about ways to expand your reach and grow your business without adding costs. In 2011, the right way to go is partnerships and collaborations. Let me give you an example.

At Berkshire Direct, We're super excited about our continued partnership with Miller Print & Litho and our new partnership with Zip'n Sort. Together we are able to provide the fully integrated services many customers want and we're able to use mutual referrals among our three customer lists to grow our businesses - yet we haven't had to take on any additional overhead or invest in any new equipment. That's a powerful combination.

Do you have any opportunities to partner with companies that are adjacent to your business whose offerings woud complement yours? 2011 is a time to explore those potentials. Leave no stone unturned.