Where everyone else sees economic gloom and doom, Reid Hoffman sees opportunity.

As the freshly minted CEO of LinkedIn (and its founder), he is shepherding a moneymaking tech company in battered Silicon Valley. And he anticipates more growth next year.

That is no small achievement. The social-networking site, which lets business professionals create online profiles to seek jobs and network, is adding members faster than ever despite its own recent layoffs and a management shake-up.

With fewer jobs available, Hoffman and others expect a rush in online business networking. “Many people — employed or not — will do project work as consultants, and look for clients,” he says.

“Every individual is a small business or brand,” Hoffman says.

Photo by Linkedin.