For the most, I believe small businesses deserve to starve. Why am I so harsh? The reason is that when I make a purchase from a business no one sends me a thank you card or recognises my efforts in supporting them.
In other words, rather than put some effort in keeping me as a customer and recession proof business, they would rather spend money on finding a new customer. Instead of planning how to keep customers and make more profit from existing customers, business owners waste money on advertising for new ones.