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Anyone can run a franchise business during good times. When you are making money, it's easy to overlook some of the deeper issues that are lying beneath the surface just waiting for an excuse to move to the top of your business's list of challenges and create havoc. Paying attention, during good times and bad times, to these eight proven concepts will help your franchise business weather today's storm and make sure the next one won't hit you so hard.

1. Reconnect to every single employee and and ask them what you can do for them. Find out what their concerns are. If as the owner of the franchise, you are feeling concern, your employees are feeling it even more deeply. Fearful employees are not productive employees.

2. Make sure that your key indicators that you are tracking are still valid in a down economy. If you have been tracking profits and profits are predictably down, think about indicators that you've ignored that could give you insight into the inner workings of your business, i.e. inventory turns, customer feedback, follow up with leads, etc.

3. Identify what is keeping your operation from being as flexible as it once was. Today you have to be able to respond to your customers needs even more quickly and efficiently. If that isn't happening, fix it.

4. Find hidden pockets where profit is hiding. Examine every aspect of your franchise business with new eyes – to find those new eyes, tap into the intelligence that resides in your employees and your customers and find out what they see.

5. Look inward. Examine your own leadership skills. Now isn't the time to gloss over your weaknesses. Now is the time to reach deep inside and ask what other skills you can learn that will help your operations prosper.

6. Assess your team. Not every person is a fit. Release the ones that need to move on and open the door to find new talent, new perspective, new ideas and new blood.

7. What is your internal communication plan? If you don't have one you better believe that there are vast information voids in your operations and your employees are filling up those information voids with negative inputs. Start communicating your vision, your plan and be aggressive about telling your employees what they need to know.

8. Look outward. Who can help you get a better understanding of how to manage your challenges? There are experts who can bring clarity, who can help you look ahead because they have been in your shoes. Don't be afraid to ask for help.

It's my belief that the current economic downturn, while impacting anyone running a franchise business, will be fueled by determination, the ability to persevere and each Franchisee's commitment to asking the difficult questions, connecting to their employees and examing their own strengths and weakneeses. By focusing on the right things at the right time, franchise owners that have built their success on strong principles, customer-centered products and services and a belief in the people they employ will come out stronger than ever.