Twinkle's business horoscopes - December
Small businesses have birthdays too, don’t you know? Whether your baby’s a Junebug or a December child, keep up with the latest astrological news affecting their health and wellbeing with LaunchLab’s very own cosmic star-reader, Twinkle.
Aquarius
The progress of the Sun through your chart has made you a social animal, Aquarius. It’s a great time to build new business relationships. Start hitting all the social networks; be that Linked In, Facebook, Myspace or even Twitter and Second Life. Networking can be fun, you know.
And you’ll be surprised how many of your friends and acquaintances will be transformed into useful contacts and business leads. Pay particular attention to the “entrepreneur”-centric groups and organisations. A new connection will
bear fruit around the 10th.
Pisces
This is a wonderful time to relocate, Pisces. If your rent is too high, your offices too cramped or you’re finding it impossible to negotiate down your energy bills, just take the plunge.
Change your scenery with Venus’ blessing this month and move your business to a new and improved home. If you’re a brand new firm, aim for creative hotspots like Leeds, Scarborough, or London’s Lambeth area. If you’re an established business, there’s always Monaco or Gibraltar.
Aries
Mercury’s intuitive influence has entered your chart this month, Aries. But this is both a blessing and a curse. If hiring or firing this month, you will find the process made easier by your ready understanding of others’ emotions.
But you may also discover secrets and betrayals that you would have rather left well alone. An argument is looming with a partner or colleague towards the end of the month. Use Venus’ influence to listen patiently to their point of view. Once you’ve cleared the air, normality will resume.
Taurus
If you’ve been feeling a bit lonely recently, Taurus, take heart. The Sun is illuminating the social sector of your chart. It’s a great time to team up with a partner or company and chase those blues away.
Having someone to bounce ideas off will help your firm no end and external advice can give you a whole new perspective on the problems that have been plaguing you of late. This could also be an opportunity for you to offload all the tasks that you find painfully dull or complicated, and concentrate on doing the things you love and excel at.
Gemini
Have you been taking care of planet you, Gemini? Poor diet, lack of exercise, late nights and stress may all be taking their toll. Luckily for you, help is at hand. The planets have aligned to ensure that you take a little break, whether you want to or not. Just go with the flow and take things a bit easier this month.
Only deal with the most pressing items on your to-do list. Throw away all your post – if it’s important, they’ll send it again. And make sure you turn off your BlackBerry, or CrackBerry, as soon as you leave the office. Your cosmic guardians will not be ignored.
Cancer
Cancerians are infamously opposed to change. And you are no exception. You are happy to plod along with the same technology, the same way of doing things, regardless of the jazzy new gadgets and software at your disposal. This month Venus is giving you a little push outside your comfort zone.
It’s time to embrace “the new”. So upgrade your phone, take advantage of that software trial and tackle that CMS system. If you refuse to evolve, you’ll go the way of the dinosaurs.
Leo
A bit of competition in business is healthy, Leo. But there’s also strength in numbers. Stop seeing other companies in your sector as “rivals” and start thinking about how to pool your resources.
We’re in a recession, don’t you know. It’s time to bury the hatchet and work together to stay in business. Do you have more clients than you can handle? Pass some of it on, and you’ll have a favour to call in when you’re under the cosh. You know what they say: “Keep your friends close, but keep your enemies closer”.
Virgo
All successful people have a few failures under their belt. The real winners are the ones that pick themselves up, dust themselves off and start again. Don’t be too hard on yourself, Virgo. You may have made a couple of mistakes recently, but all is not lost. Just accept that the damage is done and move on.
Mercury has been working his way through your chart and causing mischief. Now, it’s time to start picking up the pieces. It’s a cliché, but you can actually learn from the experience. And you’d be wise to finally admit that you are not infallible.
Libra
You know what you need, Libra? A little light relief. The pressure’s finally easing a little in your house of money. The books are balanced and you’ve put measures in place to survive the next 6 months in business. You’ve become accustomed to running on full throttle, and Venus has been the fuel in your engine.
Now it’s time to take it down a gear. I know you’re not one to sit around twiddling your thumbs, but if you’re short of ways to unwind, The Last Millionaire programme on the tellybox is a fun, and business-related, place to start.
Scorpio 
Start rubbing your hands together with glee, Scorpio. Do the words “financial windfall” mean anything to you? The Sun is bringing you untold material gains this month.
A long-mooted contract will finally get sign-off, a tax rebate will arrive, or perhaps that investment you’ve been pitching for will come through at last. But try and keep your smugness in check: all around you people are fretting about their economic stability. Keep yours under your hat or you may find yourself maligned by your peers.
Sagittarius
You know what the best thing about advice is, Sagi? You can ignore it. If you’ve been advised to take a path that jars with your entrepreneurial instincts, then don’t do it. Unfortunately, if you’ve paid for the pearls of wisdom, then it’s money down the drain.
Many people in the business world class themselves as experts and gurus but you know your company best. The twin influences of Mercury and Venus in your chart are your agony aunt and uncle this month. Trust their guidance and your own intelligence.
Capricorn
You’re getting yourself into a right state, Capricorn. All this talk of recession and downturns has spooked you, but you’re well placed to weather this storm. Research shows that around 50 per cent of small businesses were not affected, or only slightly affected, by the last recession.
Why should things be different this time around? Mercury’s presence in your solar house has made you skittish, but it’s important to feed your brain with good news as well as bad. Try reading satirical news from the likes of The Daily Mash, Guido Fawkes, and our very own Launch Lab.
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