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| November 2005 »
I recently enjoyed an email conversation with a mother of two in the western United States who is trying to start a new business. She wrote to ask if I had any kind of "help" to assist with managing business and home. She shared that her husband was not generous with his spare time in terms of being with their children so she could work on her business. To his credit, he suggested that he would engage a nanny a few days a week so she could get some work done. She was hesitant to do so "because I do not want my children to be dependent upon anyone but my husband and me." Her specific question to me: "How are you able to get so many things done?" I thought I'd share my answer with you since that is one of the questions I receive most often. (Get a cup of tea; it's a long one!)
I first want to acknowledge that every family dynamic is different. What works for one mom will not necessarily work for another mom. So I try never to say "you should do this," just because it worked for me. So please read the response with that in mind.
You are indeed blessed to be able to afford a nanny and if your husband suggests it, why not get one? Each family is different. Having said that, in my case, nannies (and what I now call "Family Helpers") saved my sanity, my business and my marriage. Like your husband, mine was not initially willing to give up his free time for my business either. Rather than fight that, I decided to figure out a way around it. For me, Family Helpers were and continue to be the answer.
I don't see my children depending on people we trust (besides ourselves) as a negative thing. I want my children to depend on us of course, but I also want them to depend on others and I want them to allow other people to depend on them as well. In life, I think you have to depend on other people sometimes and I think the best way to show when that's appropriate is to model it in my home. My kids actually think the Family Helpers are here for their own personal enjoyment, not to help mommy!
Delegation is a beautiful thing. If I have a Family Helper prepare a meal and entertain my children for an hour so I can work, I'm still taking care of my children. I have just delegated some of the care taking responsibilities temporarily to someone other than my husband or me. I'm still in the home and available if needed and I'm working in order to provide for them. To me, that's them depending on me. You may be familiar with a chapter of Scripture, Proverbs 31. The chapter describes the characteristics of a wise woman who is a mother, a home manager and a business owner. Verse 15 says "She gets up while it is still dark; she provides food for her family and portions for her servant girls." See? The Proverbs 31 woman had help in her home. Verses 16 and 18 say, "She considers a field and buys it; out of her earning she plants a vineyard." "She sees that her trading is profitable." The Proverbs 31 woman was a business woman. She knew she had to spend money in order to make money. Most importantly, she made a profit and then she invested it wisely. She couldn't do that without people to help her and the mention of "servants" (my "Family Helpers") I think is significant in that chapter.
If it was not for our Family Helpers (you can see pictures of two of them here), it would be very difficult for me to create the life I love. I'm not saying I wouldn't still be able to do it, but it would be far more challenging and far less enjoyable. The way I see it, if you have to wash clothes, why not have a washing machine? The job gets done and you still have some physical energy left over to enjoy what life has to offer. Our Family Helpers will be out in full force at the Lifestyle CEO Conference, doing everything from interacting with hotel staff to making sure everyone gets a Goodie Bag. Our children will be right next door in the licensed child care area, having a good time! It's a win/win situation for all of us. The Family Helpers earn money and enjoy hands-on job experience that they can put on their resume, plus we write recommendation and reference letters for them. That makes them and their parents happy. We get the benefit of labor which we might not otherwise be able to afford. Our children enjoy a day playing with each other and children of like-minded mothers in a safe environment while we are right next door and available in an emergency.
I think that we can be responsible mothers and home managers and still have other people helping, even in terms of being with the children. Our Family Helpers do lots of things in our home: fix lunches, give baths, comb hair, change diapers, even take the kids to the local shopping mall for ice cream and to play in the play area.
If you are a mom building your own corporate ladder, you need help. Help with business. Help with home. Help with kids. Help with you! I think this is such a critical issue that I address it in depth in my book in a chapter called "Family, Inc." Fortunately today, my husband and I have both grown to be great helps to each other and we are business partners now in some senses. That was a long time coming, but our commitment and persistence has finally paid off and we have scheduled times when he is with the children specifically so I can manage my business. You'll need help. Did I say that already? You'll need help. Oh? And did I mention you'll need help. Get some help. A few hours a week to start and see if you're comfortable. If not, then don't continue. But if you are trying to start a business use the help so you can do that. I think you'll be pleased with the results.
Was this answer helpful to you? How are you using help from friends and family to build your corporate ladder? What advice can you offer? What are your experiences getting help in the home so you can also manage your business? I'd love to hear from you, and help and encourage others too.
A Washington Post article tells the story of countless professionals dragging themselves into a relentlessly boring office every morning to face another day of being paid handsomely (often with taxpayer money, but that's another story) to do nothing. Instead of challenging their minds, implementing new policies and executing corporate goals, they are asked to do nothing. This apparently leaves them with little alternative but to meet up with friends for an afternoon watching the latest box office smash. It's frustrating to think that our hard earned tax dollars are paying people to twiddle their thumbs all day. Why are they there if they are so miserable?
According to the article, 55% of the American workforce is bored stiff at work. They are unchallenged and have nothing to do at the office. Sound familiar? I used to be there, and so did hundreds of others. I think the answer is fear. Fear of stepping out into the unknown. Fear of tapping into the depths of their incredible under-mined potential. Fear of becoming successful at something that would catapult them beyond anything they could ever ask or imagine. So what's the answer for these legions of bored, listless and tired masses? Make some perfume! Bake a cake! Take a beading class! Learn the art of massage! Get up and challenge yourself!
Don't wait for society to give you a challenge. Go out and make one on your own. What do you have to lose? Is a pay check worth giving up your God-given talents and gifts and living a flat, dull and boring life? I think not! Sewing, knitting, scrapbooking, photography, cooking, matchmaking and of course soap making. I personally know people who have started businesses from these hobbies. I am one of them! Do something to challenge your mind instead of wasting days in the clutches of mind numbing flatness. Get up and challenge yourself to learn something new. You might find that you'll discover so much more than a hobby. You could discover your ability to launch your own business!
So many people are talking about balance today. Every woman's magazine features articles on balance. Some magazines are even totally devoted to the concept. According to the dictionary, one definition of balance is "a state of equilibrium or parity characterized by cancellation of all forces by equal opposing forces." As a wife, mother and business owner, I don't have balance. At least not according to that definition. And I don't need balance. Things don't always have to be equally opposed in order for me to feel a sense of contentment, accomplishment and peace. But since there's so much talk about balance, I checked around with some other moms in different parts of the country to see what they thought about balance and whether they have and/or need it. Here's what they had to say.
"Balance is a feeling of harmony, when my personal and professional lives are simultaneously at peace. It helps when balance is achieved frequently. Life is less stressful when things are in balance. It is unrealistic to expect balance 24/7." Deborah, mother of 3, Washington, DC
"Balance is going to work out without thinking of all the things I could be doing instead. If you ask me tomorrow, the answer will be different." Nicole, mother of 1, Maryland
"Balance is being satisfied with your accomplishments and having enough time to enjoy them. By the way when I refer to accomplishments, I mean big and small. Some days it is a major accomplishment just to brush your teeth and get your panties on the right side -- plus pick up take out dinner for the family." Terri, mother of 3, South Carolina
"Balance is having all that I am passionate about at the moment in motion. I am taking care of my household: having the meals planned for the week, getting quality time in with my toddler, having childcare set up (and financed) for when I am away, etc. I am taking care of myself: nourishing my spirit with God, working out regularly, making healthy food choices, being well-groomed (hair, nails, eyebrows, and clothes are neat and flattering), and having quiet time to think; I am satisfying my career as an actress by auditioning and working in television or film, being in an independent production that I'm proud of, working on something that I am creating on my own, or by taking a great workshop or class; and, I am completing my training hours as a Massage Therapist and prospering my Mobile Massage business in the process. Making time for each part of who I am right now -- keeps me from slipping into depression and feeling like I'm neglecting my aspirations and myself. I plan for the week on Sundays (meals, appointments. childcare), and each night by scheduling the following day (making adjustments to the weekly plan as needed), picking out what to wear, defrosting whatever food I may need for the next day's dinner, and catching up on quiet time once my husband and child are asleep. I have discovered that maintaining this sort of "balance" in my life is essential for me. I'm not sure if this need is driven by sheer ambition, or by the absolute fear of slipping into an automated life that is "regular" and meaningless." Kia, mother of 1, California
"I work from my home and home school my daughter, while I love my husband and mother my child. I consider a weekly menu, grocery shop and do laundry, while I plan time with my mom and my friends. I make soap, attend meetings and design and maintain a web site, as I contemplate our next educational field trip. During all of this and more, I laugh, cry, play and pray, regardless of the hat I am wearing. Within each moment I learn and I grow and I realize that this is my balance. I need each one of these details in my life to practice for the next experience. This is the way I enjoy my life. It takes all these parts to make me whole." Ellie, mother of 1, Georgia
I thought I'd share some of these perspectives from around the country because they illustrate something that I think is significant. No one really has balance. And not only that. No one is really looking for it either. What we seek instead are challenges and activity. We need to feel that our lives are complete in a holistic way, even though at any given point in time, things are not perfectly balanced. We are embracing the joys of life and all of the challenges that come along with it, even though we rarely actually feel a state of balance.
Balance is not a prerequisite to creating the life you love. And that's good news because if you've been waiting to feel a sense of balance or gain some kind of "control" over your life before creating the life you love, here's your permission to stop waiting and start creating! Give yourself permission to enjoy life even though things are not in balance. What we need more than balance is the sense that our lives have meaning and that we are connected to the things we care about -- spouses, children, business, female friendships, eating, exercising, chores, etc.
On balance, what we crave more than anything is so much more than a feeling of balance. Instead, we crave the knowledge that what matters most to us comes together to form an integrated whole. Not a balanced whole, but an integrated one. Where we can pick and choose what we want of life at any given time, schedule it in and with all the passion we can muster, enjoy every chaotic minute of it. And then get up and do it all over again tomorrow.
That's creating the life you love.
I used to hate my name. My mother named me Donna because she liked the Donna Reed Show. Great. I'm named after the perfect neat and tidy television stay-at-home mom. I think that my mom would have named me something else if she could have glanced into the future to see the current sorry state of my family room turned toddler speedway. Donna Maria always reminded me of a nun and that's not what I wanted people to think of when they met me in high school. Today, I love my name. It rhymes, people remember it and it just kind of sounds pretty. My father wanted to name me Jennifer. Just one of many battles he lost over the years.
According to the Social Security Administration, the most popular baby names for girls today include Emily, Isabella, Olivia and Samantha. For boys, there's Ethan, Christopher and Daniel. Naming a baby is easy. You can always find something you like and there's no rule against choosing a name that someone else already has.
The rules are different and the stakes much higher when it comes to naming a business. Not so long ago, it was pretty easy to pick a business name. You looked at your products and picked a name that essentially announced what you sold. If you sold soap, you might have the word "soap" in your business name. Sonia's Soaps. How easy is that? Today, it's different and if you don't learn how to play the Name Game, no matter how great your products and services are, you will lose in the game of business.
Verizon. Intel. Altria. Novartis. Afflac. What do these company names have in common? They have no meaning apart from the meaning given to them by the companies themsleves. You won't find them in the dictionary and before they were used by their owners, they were available as dot coms.
So why am I telling you this? Because you need to be smart about choosing your business name. Using a name that's already out there in the marketplace is tantamount to aiming a gun at the future of your business and pulling the trigger. There's a whole chapter on this in my new book, but for now, here are some tips to help you out. (These are tips. Not legal advice. If you need legal advice, consult an attorney.)
1. If the name you want to use for your business shows up on Google, it means someone else is probably already using it. Pick another name.
2. If the name you want to use is not available as a dot com, it means someone else is probably already using it, has thought about using it, or is offering it for sale at a price you probably can't afford or don't want to pay. Pick another name.
3. If the name you want to use is listed in the United States Patent and Trademark Office as the subject of a trademark appliction or registration, it means that someone else is claiming legal rights to the name. Pick another name.
Losing the Name Game means losing the business game. Choose a name that no one is using. That's the only kind of name you can truly own. Remember, you're building your own corporate ladder here, not someone else's.
 When I was in high school, I was a dutiful daughter. While I had my lapses, my parents could usually count on me to follow their rules and generally comply with societal norms. I attended the school where my father was principal so there was only so much deviant behavior I could get away with anyway! After graduating and attending college, I decided to go to law school because I couldn't think of anything else do to. I also knew that if I graduated still not knowing what I wanted to do, at least I could get a job. I was right. I landed a well paying job at a small but growing law firm in Baltimore, Maryland. I worked with nice people, enjoyed challenging work and officially launched my slow but steady climb up someone else's corporate ladder.
But then, a funny thing happened on the way to the boardroom.
I learned to make soap. That's right. The stuff we take showers with. In the scheme of things, it really wasn't anything to write home about. People were politely interested in my new hobby, yet no one seemed particularly impressed. But as for me, well, I just couldn't make enough soap. It was all over my house, along with soap molds, bottles of essential and fragrance oils and plastic bags filled with everything that could be used to add texture and color to soap: ground almonds, oats, crushed herbs, beet powder (for pink color), poppy seeds and more. I was enchanted. If I was not at the office, I was on my way to or from buying soap making materials, or I was in my kitchen making soap.
From somewhere deep down in my soul, I sensed a change within myself. I had no words for it back then, but today, I recognize it as having found my passion. I wasn't sure what to make of it, but I knew it was mine to do with as I pleased. I could douse it with the water of normalcy and sensibility or I could light an unexpected and risky fire under it. I could pursue my passion or I could let it die before it was fully discovered. After a few months of soul searching, I decided not only to pursue my passion but also to live it. I quite literally saw the decision as life or death. I decided to live, or die trying.
Before I knew it, I had left a very well paying job to make soap full-time, open a bath and body shop near my home and discover where this odd passion would take me. My parents were a strange combination of disappointed, confused and terrified. They were not alone as I too felt some of those emotions. Yet I was also exhilarated and determined. I had discovered that I was capable of digging deep within myself to find new meaning and purpose in my life. I was unstoppable.
At first, I could think of little else but making soap. Yet as the days passed, I began develop relationships with other people who were also discovering and pursuing their passions. There was the designer who came to my shop on a regular basis to buy massage oil and paint a henna design on my hand. There was the environmental attorney who longed to leave his own job to finish the novel he started writing years before. There was the former telephone sales representative who had left the phone lines to open an African art shop. There was my former co-worker at the law firm who secretly shared her desire to produce a play she had been writing for years. And everyone wanted to know my "secret" for "chucking it all to follow a dream." Clearly what I had done touched a nerve. My life suddenly had richness, texture and depth unlike I had ever known before, and I think that was obvious to the people who knew me best.
I was doing what I loved to do and I was determined to follow it wherever it would lead me. I had broken all the rules. I was building my own corporate ladder. I was creating the life I loved. I stood everything I had been taught about stability and planning on its ear. I took a risk on my own happiness. Since then, I've written books and articles, appeared in many news programs and magazines, married my high school sweetheart, birthed two children, launched several businesses and helped thousands of other people discover and pursue their passions!
And to think it all started with making a bar of soap. That passion lead to another passion, and another passion and so on. My passion for soap making remains in tact, yet it has expanded to include other passions. And I never would have had the opportunity to discover those if I had not taken the very first step. How simple is that? One passion leads to another and suddenly, your life takes on new and more exciting meanings.
I have recently watched my passion expand even further to an Internet Radio Show, a cable television show and a conference. These outlets embody my new passion -- the passion of helping you find and maximize your own passion. Now your passion is my passion and I want to hear all about it.
Everyone has a passion for something (or somethings). What are your passions? Which of them do you long to pursue more than all others? Have you already begun to pursue your passion? How is it going? What would you do differently? What advice and encouragement can you give to others? What's holding you back from pursuing your passions?
Together, we can break all the rules, build our own corporate ladders and create the lives we love!!
 According to recent US Census Bureau statistics, women are starting businesses at twice the speed of the national average. The growth of women-owned businesses, especially those owned by minorities, is skyrocketing. I have been counseling small women-owned businesses all over the country for over 10 years and I am convinced that women with young children own a growing number of these businesses.
On October 13, 2005, my chapter of Mocha Moms proved my point as the brains and power behind fifteen Mocha-owned businesses presented their exciting products, services and business opportunities at the regularly scheduled support group meeting. As their children played in a side area, these industrious moms who are successfully managing both home and business shared the many products and services that other Mochas can use to enhance their daily lives and maybe even start their own businesses.
As host and coordinator of the event, I was especially proud. I have been a member of Mocha Moms since 2001 when my first child was born and this event made me even more determined to find creative ways to help mom-owned businesses gain the knowledge, support and exposure they need to compete effectively in the global marketplace. The Mocha business owners represented a variety of products and services: body care products, vegan cookies, holistic cleansing, travel services, consumer products delivered to your door, tutoring services, digital photography organization and storage, health benefits, weight management services, human hair, work/life balance, nutritional supplements, cloth diapers, manicures in your living room and more!
In the first taping of the first Lifestyle CEO television show in early October, guest Debbie Bilezikian of Monave Mineral Cosmetics in Baltimore, Maryland, was asked to tell viewers her opinion on a sure-fire way to grow a small business. Her answer without hesitation was, "Network." Although Debbie expanded on her answer a bit, she needn't have done so, and she's not the only one who knows the first-hand power of networking. An October 5, 2005, Associated Press article entitled, "The American Dream Begins With Networking," confirms the power of collaborating with your competitors as a business model all its own. If you have ever been fearful of chatting it up with your industry colleagues because of fear or having your ideas stolen or fear of being seen as an opportunitist, or just plain old scared to waste your time, you have been missing out on one of the best business building tools on earth.
The Associated press article cites many examples of how networking strengthens individual businesses, ethnic groups and the country as a whole. For example, 39% of US manicurists are natives of Korea, and 50% of economy lodging properties are owned by Indians. Whether by necessity (because they cannot find jobs in the traditional work force) or by choice (they want to control their own destinies), immigrants are finding and solidifying niches markets for every imaginable product and service. And they are doing it because they spend time together. They share ideas, tips and tactics and encourage each other to use what works to grow a successful enterprise.
But the power of networking is not limited to immigrant entrepreneurs. Networking organizations are sprouting up all over, and each has a single goal in mind: to bring together the shared knowledge and energy of like-minded people for the benefit of individuals and the markets they represent. For example, the Give 'N Take Network connects people to help them exchange products and services in a friendly, supportive environment. The Handmade Beauty Network, which has connected people in the handmade beauty industry online for nearly six years, is launching its Handmade Beauty Business Magazine this fall, and hosting its first conference in August 2006. Of course the Lifestyle CEO Conference in January 2006 is also shaping up to be an outstanding networking event if I do say so myself. In addition to privately owned groups, there is no shortage of national non-profit networking organizations, and let's not forget state and local chambers of commerce.
A few years ago, I was talking with a group of women business owners about why they didn't do more networking. I uncovered three main reasons: (1) fear of introducing themselves to new people; (2) fear of disclosing valuable sources or business success secrets to the competition; and (3) not enough time. These reasons are excuses. They are not valid explanations. If you want to be successful in business, you have to garner the courage to speak to new people about your product or service. You don't necessarily have to be confident in your ability to do this -- at least not at first. The bottom line is that if you are not a mouthpiece for what you offer, those who do chat it up about their businesses will get all of the customers and you'll be stuck with fear of talking. If you suffer with an anxiety disorder that makes it physiologically difficult for you to meet others, find some treatment for it or hire a good part-time mouth piece to speak on your behalf.
One creative strategy is to collect a few close trusted friends and ask them to let you practice on them. They may have a hard time being objective, but if you make it clear that you need their honest opinions and suggestions, it's a good place to start. Here's another idea for those afraid of the schmooze. Next time you're at a dinner party, mixer or other social occasion, take the focus off of yourself by asking others to talk about himself or herself. Try to avoid the trite "What do you do for a living?" Instead, complement an outfit or ask open-ended questions that require others person to respond with information abou themselves. Here are some examples: "Tell me how you know our host." "How did you find out about this event?" "How has being a member of this organization helped you?" The answers to these questions will likely hand you a response on a silver platter. By taking the focus off of yourself, you ease your own fear of conversation.
To survive in business today, you must be a part of a network. It does not have to be formally organized, but it does have to allow you opportunities to meet others, share and exchange ideas and generally "cross-pollinate" each other with the kind of support and encouragement we all need to grow. From neighbors and family members to business colleagues and co-workers, find people you can schmooze with. You'll be amazed at the number of business and personal opportunities that will come your way as a direct result of being an active participant in social circles.
One of the questions I am most often asked is, "What does it take to be successful as a small business owner?" The answer is different for everyone, but even before attempting to answer, the first things that need to be addressed are: What does success mean to you and what do you want to accomplish? How can we know how to be successful unless we first know what success would mean to us? Having answered that question for yourself, there are three basic things that critical to success in small business, no matter what the goal is.
1. Bloom Where You Are Planted.
It may look to you like everything is working against you. You have little money to invest, and even less time because you are juggling motherhood and family. You are terrified because you may have never done anything like it before. You can't afford advertising and don't know much about marketing. You're not used to blowing your own horn and you're a little afraid that it won't work out. Yes, join the club. the first suggestion I have is to simply look around you at the assets you have. What is your passion? What keeps you awake at night thinking about how you can develop your passion into a commercial venture? Who are your friends and family members that will help you? You can't afford a fancy website? Start with a user-friendly, nicely designed 2-page website. You don't have 20 hours a week to spend on your business? Start by spending 5. Other people are doing it better than you? Do it to the best of your ability, not someone else's. Don't know what's involved? Attend a free business seminar provided by someone in your area (check local newspapers). Want to meet other moms who have taken what little they might have had and created a successful business? Tune into the Lifestyle CEO Radio Show on Mondays at 1:00pm EST on Global Talk Radio.com. Or come to the Lifestyle CEO Conference. Look around you at all of the things you have to help you get started. Work with what you have, and what you need will come.
2. Be Consistent.
I call this, "Putting the needle on the record." Create your infrastructure and your tools to get started one time, and than use them over and over and over again. Today, we can't get away from media reports on how the television shows of the fall season are faring in the marketplace. Remember when The Apprentice with Donald Trump was all the rage last year? Well, this year, NBC hoped that The Apprentice Martha Stewart would follow suit, but it did not. So, they are moving it to a different time slot in the hopes that it will find an audience. Meanwhile, ABC's mega-hit, Lost, which was popular last year, is even more popular this year. In both cases, the infrastructure was built (the shows were taped and advertised). In the first case, changes need to be made to make the infrastructure work. In the second case, the infrastructure works, so there's no need to change much. It's time to ride the wave. Small business is much the same way, on a smaller scale of course. Set it up the best way you can and then repeat the things that work and drop the things that don't work. Success breeds success so if something works, do it over and over again.
3. Help Other People.
Ah, the Golden Rule. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Help other people. When you help other people, you also help yourself. I have a friend whose business motto is, "How can I help you while also providing for my family's needs?" Translation: how can I help you and also make money? It's a fair question and one that should be asked by every small business owner.
So, there it is. Try it and let me know if it helps you.
My children (ages 4 and 2) are children. They think like children. They act like children. They speak like children. And like all children, they view every situation through a paradigm of short term, knee jerk reactions. If my daughter snatches a toy from her brother, it's cause to push her into the fireplace, even if he really doesn't want the toy and even if she could be seriously injured. But he's not thinking about that because he wants his toy NOW. He's not thinking about all the good things he gets from his sister, like how she saves him a lollipop every Friday after school, or how she taught him how to spell the word "blue" the other day. To him, it's all about what's in it for him now, and to you-know-where with the long-term consequences. We expect children to behave that way, but you'd think that adults --particularly the ones running huge corporations that put their workers at risk everyday -- would focus on long and short term results. You know, take the good with the bad for the long-term benefit of all? Well, if you thought that way, you'd be wrong.
While many of the questions posed to the new Chief Justice of the United States at his confirmation hearing dealt with privacy issues, a lot of the cases he will address in his first term have to do with employer/employee relations. One of the biggies is IBP v. Alvarez, where employers argue that employees who wear protective clothing should not be paid for the time it takes for them to walk from the changing area to the work floor. While this is an issue in many types of work places, the work place at issue here happens to be slaughterhouses, where employees (largely Hispanic immigrants who make between $9 and $13 per hour -- gross) put their lives at risk every day, and where their employers are by law required to provide them with protective clothing they don't want to pay them to wear.
And who do you think should win this case? The employers, represented by the Well Suited Ones in the corporate office? Or the employees working in sweaty, oppressive conditions around blood and gore all day, and without whom the Well Suited Ones would not have a job (not to mention beef and pork at dinner) since I don't think we'll find them in the chopping areas if the workers go on strike.
It is a privilege, not an entitlement, to run a business. And along with the privilege comes the responsibility to make sure that those who work with us (notice I did not say "for" us) are treated with dignity and respect for the value they bring to the table. If companies want to make billions, they should be happy to pay their employees to make it possible. The nickel-and-dime approach is appalling. Which is why I am determined to help small business grow so they can create new income opportunities for people who are working hard to provide for their families and not getting an ounce of respect in return.
Grow up Well Suited Ones! You should have to take the good with the bad. I'm no employment expert but I've been around long enough to know that what you should do and what you must by law do are not necessarily the same. A recent Census Bureau report indicates that Hispanics are leading the pack in terms of small business growth, and the pack as a whole is growing tremendously as well.
So keep it up, Well Suited Ones. While you're busy looking right in front of your noses, your workers and the children they are raising are looking -- oh, say 15 years down the road -- at a very different world. But don't worry. I bet those protective suits come in a variety of sizes and colors, and there's one just waiting for you.
 In her September 27 remarks at the Change To Win founding convention, top executive Anna Burger said this: "American workers do play by the rules. But the rules no longer work. Wages are down, work hours are up. The gap between the rich and the rest of America is staggering and growing. Health care costs are exploding. Pensions are wiped out. Job security is a thing of the past. Part-time employment is on the rise. Giant corporations that salute no flag but their own corporate logo, and worship no [G]od, but the almighty dollar, roam the globe in search of the lowest wages.
"The result is families now face the impossible challenge of getting their children to school in between their two or three jobs. Choosing between bus fare and breakfast, health care or housing, in between taking care of their mother or their father or their children. Sisters and brothers this is not the American Dream. It is an American Nightmare. . . . Unions are the antidote for what ails us."
I agree with Ms. Burger on all but one point. And it is a biggie.
Unions are a necessary and helpful part of the American economy. But they are not the antidote for what ails us, and until we stop looking to them and other forces outside of ourselves to relieve our pain, we will be forever waiting for one antidote or another to fly in like Superman and rescue us.
No, unions are not the antidote for what ails us. We are. Unions can force employers to comply with the law, resulting in a more worker-friendly work environment. But they cannot reach into the depths of our souls and create the kind of holistic lifestyle changes that we need. Only we can do that, and until we realize and act on that truth, we will be forever at the mercy of the antidote of the day to impact our world and our lives for the better.
Of course entrepreneurship is not for everyone, and millions of Americans do not have the means, the will and/or the desire to manage a business of their own. But millions of Americans are in such a position and those of us who are should be working to make it better for everyone. Until those of us who can are willing to tap into our God-given capabilities to change our lives for the better, the antidote will never come.
We are the antidote. I am the antidote for what ails me. You are the antidote for what ails you. Let's join together to help change lives. In doing so, we will change families, communities, our country and the world.
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