There are two ways to spell success. The first is obvious: “success”. The second is perhaps just as obvious, but not as common: “sales up”. Of course, the overall solvency of a company is determined by more than just increased sales, the expenses must also be more than covered by a company’s gross revenues. The sales reports of the top personal care and household goods have not only risen, there has also been an increase in net profit. That is what we want to see. We might be complaining and Wall Street looks somewhat like the chart of a yoyo, but we are spending money and our businesses are prospering.

In 2009, by the 4th Quarter, as reported by the July edition of “happi”, www.happi.com, the top companies like Proctor & Gamble and Colgate-Palmolive were showing an increase in sales. This trend has continued to the present, improving the economic outlook for our company. Men are buying aftershave, women are accentuating their beauty. When times are rough, Americans evidently put their best face forward and insist on being clean, smelling good, and looking great.

An increase in sales is not enough in a market that has seen an increase in the price of raw materials as well. So, good management has guided these successful companies to weather the rough times and come out on top. It takes strong leadership to review company performance. By reducing the cost of doing business and increasing the marketing efforts to reach the consumer who has been shy of spending, success is inevitable for every company, regardless of size and product.