Small businesses have an inordinate potential to inhibit its employees, particularly in tough economic conditions. With huge economic pressures to keep prices to down, employers cannot afford to increase employee wages without passing on these costs to customers. As employees seek wage growth elsewhere by going into business for themselves, they too will soon face the same issues which prompt this eternal cycle of stifling the American worker. Not us, not now, we are changing!
Recently, a custom home builder was discussing the challenges he faced with being a smaller enterprise, not too different than custom electronic systems contracting. He remarked that fundamentally, small business inhibits life-long career paths to any employee. It is damn near impossible to sustain the overhead to pay for good talent and keep your costs down. In tough economic times, potential customers (he referred to this group as ‘stretchers’) want what they can’t afford and are willing to take quality risk, if paying the price is something they can achieve.
As our eLifespaces team tackled these fundamental issues of high quality, low price, technological excellence in electronic fields too numerous to list, we developed a strategy to break the ever oppressive cycle of small businesses. This strategy, these oportunities, our path ahead is not for the faint at heart, for it requires individuals with true conviction. Since this is a competitive business strategy, the details of the plan will be omitted for now.
But what is interesting is the rumor environment in which we seem to find ourselves situated. My Dad use to enjoy gossip – true or not. Often described as a “little elderly church lady” he was the brunt of my teasing as much as those to whom he was gossiping. But unlike his humorous non-malicious rumors, uncertainty in our unstable and complex economy (not to mention the uncertainty of other competitors) serves as a precursor to rumor generation of a very nasty kind.
It remains our belief that those who are susceptible to rumors (and particularly those who facilitate them) possess high levels of personal and business uncertainty and anxiety. It is their way of explaining and giving meaning to events no matter how inaccurate while providing a stage to assert their self importance in the discussion.
While it may be true that…
- we have reorganized our delivery system;
- we have reorganized our personnel structure;
- we have provided the means by which our people can financial succeed;
- we have trimmed overhead by eliminating extra vehicles (along with gas, maintenance, insurance, etc.);
- we have provided an more efficient method of servicing our customers’ accounts;
- and, to ensured our continuation for years to come;
…don’t believe for a moment that we aren’t planning to kick some ass as we position ourselves in this recovering economy (while making those participating in the rumor mill look like morons). ~ fred
Talked with some biz prof up here about game plan. Very interested in model and would like hear about progress offline. As far as rumor mill – screw them, who cares what dumb asses think.