Local businesses who have taken a hit with the economic downturn of recent years may have to try "Plan B" to get them back to their "A game," consultant Margie Johnson said Tuesday.

Speaking to about two dozen business owners at the Main Street Event Space, Johnson said that many business owners may have lost their "A game" or need to reinvent it. Plan B is not meant to replace your current business plan, she said, but may help get you back to a former level of success. Johnson is president of Shop Talk, which is based in Virginia Beach.

The B Plan includes a lot of things that business owners should strive to be. For example, Johnson said they should be curious, trying to learn why people support or do not support a business.

"Be a business development specialist," Johnson said. "Each day independent businesses must ask the hard questions of their business … Successful small businesses are holding themselves accountable for business development."

Also, Johnson urged t...