Once, on a family visit to India, I heard of these fortune tellers that supposedly gave uncannily accurate assessments of people’s lives. I was convinced I had to see one, dragging my family all over Madras to find the right person with my palm leaf. When we found the place, much to my disappointment, I received a long list of terrible fortunes, suggesting I would get divorced, do poorly at work, and become sick and hospitalized, among other truly soul-destroying predictions.
However, when he told me that I would one day open my own business (which would, of course, also fail), I knew he was off by a mile. I didn’t think I had the courage and the creativity or know-how to run my own business, or the gumption to take a risk to make it fly.
That said, as I’ve gotten older, I’ve grown more and more appreciation for the people who do try to make a go at business, especially as I see the amount of hard work, sweat and tears it involves to get it off the ground and running – and the pressure it involves, knowing making it a success means keeping food on your family’s table, and being able to retain employees rather than letting them go. It’s a realization that seems timely to share, as this is Small Business Week.
Times have hardly ever been tougher for small businesses; of course, the sluggish economy doesn’t help, while a rising minimum wage and a new carbon tax coming down the pipe is equally tough to swallow. Throw in the challenges of competition from big cities and chains, and the competition from the Internet to boot, and it’s astonishing to see the number of new businesses that continue to crop up and strive to make a place for themselves in our communities.
Community newspapers like the St. Paul Journal are small businesses too, and like every other business, we too face the challenge of a globalized world dominated by Internet. We depend on advertisers and subscribers to keep producing a newspaper, and as such, we are deeply invested in seeing those advertisers – our local small businesses – succeed and keep their doors open. It can’t happen if people don’t keep their dollars local, or if they drive to the city or buy lots of goods online.
I realize people shop with the bottom line in mind, especially when times are tight. But spending your money locally is integral to keeping your community alive. Just ask yourself, will Amazon be sponsoring the Lakeland Rodeo Association finals any time soon? Will you be able to ask Costco to be a name sponsor for your child’s hockey team? My guess is that neither is likely to happen soon.
Small businesses and us, the consumers, are part of an interconnected web that keeps our communities alive and vibrant. We need to recognize that, and we need our governments to see that and make it easier – not tougher – for small businesses to stay afloat and succeed, whatever else the future brings.
