BACK in 1993, after having completed my two-year expat posting with a US-based employer, I decided the time was right to settle in Asia and start my own company. Asia-Pacific Connections offers a variety of business development and integrated marketing services to technology vendors.

I figured that, with a strong network in Silicon Valley, word would spread quickly of my entrepreneurial venture. By the following year, I was adding staff and expanding office space to accommodate our growing US-based technology vendor customers.

The current global financial crisis and resulting worldwide recession is not the first economic downturn Asia-Pacific Connections has weathered over the last 15 years. We first faced the Asian Financial Crisis in 1997, which mostly affected the markets of Thailand, Indonesia and South Korea.

Since we have never had our own offices in those markets, it was our affiliates that felt the most impact at that time. Then followed the dotcom bust in 2000, which we watched very closely, but were not very negatively affected since our clients comprise mostly Nasdaq-listed companies and not Internet-based start ups.

However, this present recession is by far the most extensive, and has not spared our current client base.

Starting in the second half of last year, some of our clients began postponing projects into 2009, whilst others converted retainers to project-based work until the economic recovery begins. Since Asia Pacific Connections is debt-free, we have not had to worry about bank loan recalls or anything drastic, though we have had to watch our cash flow to ensure our clients continue to pay on time.

During this time of economic uncertainty, we have rewarded our high-achieving employees for their loyalty and hard work, stressing service excellence and unfaltering teamwork as our differentiator in this crowded marketplace. In addition, we have taken the opportunity to reach out to new potential customers who might not have thought it was affordable to enter the market at this time, as well as those that no longer have the budgets to continue to work with global marketing agencies who command high retainer fees. As a result, we have actually seen our business grow in the first half of this year.

All signs point to better economic conditions by the end of this year or early next year. In the meantime, we are upgrading the skill sets of our team, and we remain active in the Singapore professional community to keep our company's name in the forefront of people's minds. My partner, Jonathon Gould, is on the board of both the American Chamber of Commerce and the American Association, and I am Chair of AmCham's Marketing and Communications Committee, as well as an active member in a number of marketing associations and professional women's groups. Finally, we both speak at industry conferences as frequently as our schedules allow, to expand our network and further build brand awareness for our company.

In troubled times, I think it is vital to focus on your unique differentiator, and deliver consistently on your brand promise. Whilst it is important to be empathetic to your client?s pain points, you also have to be realistic on what you can deliver, so you minimally achieve what you have been contracted to deliver and, where possible, over deliver to boost customer loyalty.