Small Business America

When I think of Small Business America I think of my childhood home. The trips to the tiny grocery store, trips with my dad to the corner barber shop, that no matter what time of day or day of the week, the same old gentlemen were always there. You could tell they did not need a trim but that was just the place to be, and they always solved all the world’s problems and then they would all get up and leave at the same time.

Going to Mr. Pete’s grocery store with my friends, racing on our bicycles with baseball cards attached to our back tire made us sound like drivers at the Friday night short track. But in small town America that’s what we did. We would ride by Horace’s tire store and check the air in our tires. I think he enjoyed us coming by as much as we did the attention. His favorite thing to say to us was “you boys aren’t getting into any trouble are you?” We would always say “no sir” (by the way something you don’t hear from kids today), and he would always respond “well the days not over yet and we would all laugh out loud even though we heard it hundreds of times.

What has happened to this icon of America? “Small businesses represent the backbone of our economy. Every community benefits when the work force is strong.” According to John Kerry, Former Presidential Candidate and Chairman of Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee, the federal government has done an abysmal job of ensuring that small businesses get their fair share of federal contracts. Without a doubt this country cannot succeed with large corporate business and small town business. There is no question that there is a place in America for both and we must preserve this history and tradition for survival.

I am a product of large corporate business; but it did not start out that way. The company I work for was started on a living room table between two relatives 57 years ago and has grown to the twenty-fifth contract foodservice in the United States. In my opinion this is what small business should be, giving one a chance to succeed. The small business owners I know are special people. Sometimes I wonder if they do it for the money or just the thought of helping someone. So, next time you need something for Mother’s Day, Father’s Day or Christmas, drive a little farther, you might have to go out of your way but find the little corner store and help out the small business owner. After all, this is the heartbeat of America.

One Step Closer

Another great semester at BAMA. No doubt it was the hardest one yet but now I am only the "Capstone Project" away from graduation on August 7th.