10 Rules for a Business to Survive During Recession In an economy as tough as this one, you may need to change your business drastically to pull through. Nearly every business has felt an impact from the recession. There has been no escaping. The root causes were universal and had a domino effect. Some small-business owners believe they've seen the bottom and they are surviving -- they are OK and they expect to persevere with modest adjustments. These small-business owners are kidding themselves. The bottom has not been reached, and it will be a long slide until it does. We are in for a five- to 10-year disaster.