Almost exactly a year ago, the economy went into a tailspin in its most public way, with banks getting taken over by the government and the country’s largest insurance company getting bailed out.

Since then, 108 banks have shuttered, others have consolidated and 35 percent of domestic banks have tightened credit for small firms in July, according to a recent survey from the Federal Reserve. Of course, most small businesses don’t need a survey to tell them credit has dried up.

So, don’t you wish someone had told you back then to ask your bank for a bigger line of credit?

Well, someone did. Last year, at SAF Palm Beach 2008, speaker Paul Goodman, CPA, gave that as his No. 1 piece of advice during Financial Survival Kit, Dos and Don’ts.

It’s that kind of business-saving, practical, must-implement-as-soon-as-I-get-home-from-convention information that's drawing about 270 retailers, wholesalers and growers to the SAF’s 125^th convention this week in Phoenix. With business owners watching every penny and operating with leaner staffs, the choice to spend a few hundred dollars and few days away from their business might seem like a tough one – until you talk to attendees.

And that’s exactly what we did:

“This year, more than ever, we should be here,” said Jeffrey Dyer, who along with his wife, Leanne, are two of the 37 first-time attendees. The owners of Pizzazz Floral & Garden in Cheyenne, Wyo., said they are are especially looking forward to the session on building sympathy business and the Idea Swap, a fast-paced, high-energy session that packed in attendees last year.

“I told my managers to clear their calendars and get ready for a idea-packed dinner when I get back,” said Shari Lane of A Flower Fair of Las Vegas. “I’ve been in the industry for 20 years but as a manager of managers, I need this to re-energize and re-focus.”

"I couldn't afford not to come," said Cora Morrison of Des Moines Florist, another first-time attendee who said a tough economy made the decision to come an easy one. "In times like this, we need one another as a sounding board and reality check. And we need the kind of speakers and networking SAF offers to recharge."

“I am here for the business side; I can do the design but you can’t beat the how-to, financial side information,” said Jeane Meiers of Jeane Meiers Florist in Stanley, N.D. “And I had to hear it from Paul Goodman in person. That’s the kind of information you can’t miss.”

That sounds like an endorsement you can take to the bank.

Psychologists have recently discovered that “grit” – defined as the unique ability to set a specific goal and do whatever it takes until that goal is reached – is a key element of achieving success in life.

If you are like me, that discovery is not exactly earth-shattering news. Recall that Thomas Edison once said, “success is one percent inspiration and 99 percent perspiration.” Working hard, persisting in the face of obstacles, focusing on the task at hand and persevering until the job is done – those are things you do every day, all day. And in today’s economic climate, the need for grit is a necessity and not just an empty buzzword.

But what’s interesting is that psychologists are now able to scientifically evaluate the relative importance of traits like intelligence, innate talent and grit to lifetime achievement. As an article on the discovery points out, grit is an essential and often overlooked component of success.

So while you may be talented and intelligent, your ability as an entrepreneur to do whatever it takes to achieve your goals may just be the most important asset you have.

And remember, too, that mingling with others who have grit is valuable. You’ll find that at the SAF Phoenix 2009. Hope to see you (and your grit) there.

On Labor Day, I appropriately got the good news that hard work and persistence pays off. A San Diego florist whose Yellowpages.com listing had been parceled off to competitors e-mailed me with the news that ads were gone.

It was a happy ending to a story that started in mid-August when Teri Egenberger contacted me when she discovered competing ads from online competitors in the borders of Molly Malloy's Yellowpages.com listing and on those of florists nationwide. I contacted AT&T, the parent company of Yellowpages.com, and after a couple of e-mail exchanges, the PR contact promised that AT&T was working to remove the ads from all sites.

After the full story ran Aug. 19 in E-brief, several florists contacted us to say they've been fighting this same territorial battle for months.

Their fight, at least for now, ended with a victory over Labor Day weekend.