As scary as the current recession is for business across the country, it can be especially daunting for new businesses, and those looking to start a business.Dion Cheney has more...Nicole , the group Entrepreneurs' Organization estimates that without assistance, more than 60 percent of new businesses will fail.The good news: help is out there... for those who help themselves...It's hard to see a lot of sunshine in today's economy... but for Greg Hawkinson.... The sun is the future.

Greg Hawkinson says, 'For instance, if there's a light out in the middle of nowhere and it makes very little sense to run electricity there, we find a way to solve that problem.'Green Duck Energy Solutions is based just outside Good Thunder... like lots of new businesses, it started with an idea...in Greg's case, a very practical one.Hawkinson says, 'My electric bill back two years ago was touching 700 dollars a month. I live in a big old farm house, heated with electricity, everything's electric... so we started saying, how can we cut this bill, how can we manage that, and it got us into this.'From solar to wind and more, Green Duck Energy Solutions provides just that... taking technology and adapting it to a company or community's specific needs.  

Green Duck has also been Greg's solution to the recession.He's forging ahead in a business climate that can make many entrepreneurs think twice about following their dreams.His dream benefits from both his vision... and his location.Jill Klinger with Greater Mankato Growth says the Mankato area hasn't felt as much impact from the struggling economy.Jill Klinger says, 'We haven't seen growth either, but I think that kind of shows that Mankato has a little bit of extra padding around it compared to some other economies that maybe have one or two industries where we have a real diverse industry grouping, and so I think that helps us.

'It's Jill's job to help businesses like Greg's get off the ground, and keep going.She says even in the current climate, the dreamers don't have to go it alone...Jill says, 'We have 30 or so service providers that are there specifically to help them build their businesses, and we have the accelerator program, which will help them get right to the resources they need at the right time.'While Greg says the economy can be worrying, he believes that optimism isn't just important for entrepreneurs... it's required.  

Greg Hawkinson says, 'I don't want to sound like a 'homer' for American patriotism, but you have to be kind of a homer and know that we can do it, whatever gets thrown at us, we're going to find a way to solve the problems.'As for other entrepreneurs out there, Jill Klinger at Greater Mankato Growth helps coordinate a slew of services for new businesses in the area.You can give them a call at the numbers on your screen.