(Note: This article has nothing to do with politics – it is about Your Business.)
Politicians are working on the Economic Bailout and on spending, when it’s all over, about $3.5 Trillion on it. Yes, that’s $3,500,000,000,000.00. They’ve already allocated $700 Billion and just added another $800 Billion to it. Then, later on, will come the housing bailout – probably a similar amount. Then they’ll find some other places to put even more money. Don’t expect to have it finally end in 2010 at less than $3.5 Trillion.
Add to that amount the fact that not all of the monies will be spent on economic stimulating projects. Oh, no. Give politicians a license to spend money without fear of reprisal and they will not, can not, control themselves. They will find many projects in their jurisdictions that can be a benefit to their political interests (read, get re-elected) – and they will fund those projects. Some of those projects will be beneficial to society and America as a whole, but most will not. They will, however, all benefit the politicians and their pals.
I’m not complaining. Just stating what has happened in the past and is continuing to happen right now. We cannot create a new class of citizens – the “Professional Politician” class – and expect them to act in someone else’s best interest. We all act in our best interest and so do they. So, I’m not complaining.
And, I’m not in favor of any one politician or political party over any other politician or political party. They are all “Politicians” and I dis-like and dis-trust all of them – not any particular one of them but all of them as a whole.
Additionally, “we” have allowed this problem to get so big that – unfortunately – the government has to step in – because they can print new money that appears to be needed to dig us out. I am NOT in favor of big government or big spending by the government, but we cannot let the situation get much worse.
I know, there are a lot of folks who say that we should just let the marketplace correct itself. I would normally be in favor of that – in fact, I would normally profess that to any and all who would listen! But the circumstances right now require a change in attitude and a change in action – as much as I dislike it and even though it is going to cost us and our kids and grandkids for the next 50+ years.
The most recent Politicians’ plan includes spending over $800,000,000,000! President Obama has stated that he wants to create 4,000,000 jobs. If we assume that the entire $800,000,000,000 would be used for projects that would create new jobs (like it’s supposed to do and like the Politicians are professing that it does) – that would mean it is costing you and me, and our kids and grandkids, $200,000 for EACH of the 4 million new jobs.
According to the TV news, the average wage earner in America makes $26,000 per year. Add the payroll taxes and benefits to that amount and the average cost to a business for each employee is about $35,000.
To create 4 million jobs at $35,000 each would cost $140,000,000,000 per year. “Just” $140 Billion. That means that the $800 Billion in new spending could pay for those 4 million jobs for 3 years AND leave $380 Billion for the politicians to find other “needed” places for. That’s a No B.S. Plan. Not perfect, but it would alter the economy immediately.
That would put the economy back on track! The newly created jobs would include benefits (so universal health care would becomes less urgent and give time to create a slightly better program) and payroll taxes (so the government would then have a whole lot more operating capital).
Now, as to what these new 4,000,000 employees would be doing, how about having them work for you and me – work in our businesses. Could your business grow and thrive if you had one new employee whose salary, benefits and taxes were paid for by the “government”? Could your business produce more, sell more, perform more services with another employee? I know mine could! Would you then be more profitable. Would you not have to layoff anyone else. Would these 4,000,000 additional consumers be purchasing your products or services?
However, not all of these 4,000,000 new employees would be working for small and mid-sized businesses though. Nope. Some of them would have to work for the government to screen applicants, categorize and classify them as to what jobs they could actually perform, train or re-train unskilled or under-skilled applicants and get them ready for us to hire. More of them would be needed to work for the government to screen employers as to #1) what they actually needed in their one new employee, and #2) would that new job really produce a benefit to society – after all it’s “government” money, isn’t it?
This plan could actually be something that Politicians could work with and pass into legislation. Why? Simply because it would give every single one of them the ability, the right, the responsibility to create brand new jobs in their districts. Yes, this would meet their need to propagate more Patronage jobs.
The government would win.
The Politicians would win.
The qualified unemployed citizen would win. (Oops, what about the illegal or undocumented aliens – another place for the Politicians to “win”.)
The small businesses and their owners and other staff members would win – businesses could now stay in business, do more business, make more profits and not have to lay off any more employees.
The banks would win – no more (or, at least, a lot fewer) foreclosures.
The retailers would win – folks would have money to buy things with.
The investors would win – discretionary income (from both the new jobs and from the profits made by the businesses where they spend their paychecks) has to be placed somewhere.
Homeowners would win – with paychecks coming in they could then make their house payments.
America could be back “UP” and growing again.
OR, we could just get in line behind the current plans and the current mentality and let all of our Politicians lead us down the road to __________________. (You fill in the blank.) Maybe, just maybe, we ought to contact our own elected officials, the Politicians who are representing us (at least that’s what we elected them for – to represent US) and let them know we are watching them.
Our new President is sitting in a place where he has the opportunity to become the greatest president in our history. He is facing seemingly insurmountable problems and threats. My desire is for him to succeed beyond anybody’s imagination. (Maybe even save us from our elected officials?????????)
My hat is off to him. He recognizes that the “old stuff” isn’t working and doesn’t work. He recognizes the need to change some things that just plain need to be changed. And, he is Doing something about them. I applaud him. I applaud his efforts. I am encouraged by his intelligence and his “street-smarts”. Since I have always been prone to trying new things, I really appreciate his doing the same.
Let’s get back to Your Business and my business. The government is NOT going to bail you out. Or me either. We have to do it ourselves.
How? What steps are needed to help us survive and thrive in the 2009 economy?
It seems to me that the first thing that we need is a slightly different – and for some of us a radically different – approach to getting new customers, keeping the one we already have and getting more sales volume from all our customers, both new and old.
We need to follow the example of President Obama and embrace some new ideas and methods.
For example, we need to change our marketing. Placing an ad in the newspaper will not produce any better results today than it did a year ago. Expecting people to walk in or call in just because we have a business won’t work either. Buyers are more sophisticated today that they were just a few month ago. Plus they are scared. So we need to ATTRACT them – like a magnet.
We need a NO B.S. customer attraction PLAN.
We need a No B.S. customer attraction SYSTEM.
We also need better – much better customer service. We need better qualified and/or better trained employees.
We, as business owners, need to step up to the plate, too. We need to do a whole lot better job running our businesses. We need more “How-To” education that really works today. We need to learn what is working today – in our industry and in other industries – so we can incorporate winning techniques into our businesses. That is our Economic Bailout Program!
One way to do that is to contact the local Glazer-Kennedy Insider’s Circle Chapter Director or another local business and marketing coach/consultant. Talk to him/her. See how they can help you. Multiplied tens of thousands of business owners in North America have joined their teaching and mastermind groups and are already growing their businesses, attracting more customers and making more money – right now, even in this economy. You can, too.
The Sky Is NOT Falling. It’s only slipping. But your sky doesn’t even have to slip. It’s your choice.