Jami Smith’s dream is basic, owning a catering business.

But staying in business in an economic slowdown is not so basic.

“People start doing things on their own. They don’t cater,” business owner Jami Smith said. “It’s more or less something that people use when they have a disposable income, when they have extra money.”

Consumers are spending less on goods and services they can do without.

So business owners like Jami Smith’s are suffering.

And she’s not alone.

Ron Merrill moves luxury furniture, mostly for wealthy customers. But now, he says, it seems even the rich are pinching pennies.

“In January, it just stopped.  It really stopped. In fact, this January was the worst January and the worst month that we’ve had in four years, “business owner Ron Merrill said.

And as consumers cut back, so do businesses.

This was evident in a job fair held at the University of Houston. Most of the booths there were from the financial, pharmaceutical and government sectors; other employers just didn’t show up.

“We are not seeing some of the strategic consulting type of opportunities. Because they are really having to streamline those opportunities, we are not seeing some of the luxury companies like some of the spas and cruise lines, things like that, “Assistant Dean at the Bauer Career Center Jamie Belinne said.

So business owners have to cook up new recipes for survival as a once hot economy cools down.

“I make up everything as I go,” Smith said.