No small business can escape recession, but there are some that are able to sustain recession well.

Forget advertising, financing, or business services business that WAS thriving.

Some of the strongest businesses of all are those that main business is serving the public – Small businesses offering safety products and services, for instance, are thriving today.

Here are some businesses serving the public that are recession survivors.

Road and traffic safety products and services business

Vehicular warning lights, traffic control devices and cones are some of the safety products that are always on demand to help warn the public on redirected traffics or blockades on certain part of the road.

Business providing those products are always in demand and never obsolete (as long as vehicles are still running by human intervention :D) Moreover, businesses related to traffic safety are almost always related to city’s transportation infrastructure management, and no matter how bad the economy is, the Government is always interested to partner with traffic-related businesses.

Personal safety products and services business

Personal safety products, such as safety vests, safety glasses and flashlights, are those that are needed by traffic, construction or home renovation workers, as well as DIY fans :)

Business security



Security businesses will not falter from recession blows for one reason: They are almost mandatory, if not badly needed by business.

Services such as data security and protection, surveillance systems, and similar other systems are always on demand, as they protect not only the business physical assets, but also the staffs and customers.

Public safety and aesthetic business

What I mean by public safety and aesthetic business is a business helping the city to look clean and aesthetically pleasing.

Some examples include waste collection and recycling businesses and other, more creative, ‘city beautification’ businesses.

‘City beautification’ creative businesses may include businesses that provide designer visual barrier between the public to the construction area (i.e. a well-painted wall that ‘hide’ construction mess).

So, if you want to start a business, consider starting one in public safety. You might won a huge contract from the City’s Mayor!

Ivan Widjaya

Public safety business

Image by pablucas012.