Small Business Rocks

According to Get Busy Media, there are over 27 million small businesses in America and they account for 60 to 80% of all employment.   These figures suggest strongly that the only way out of economic malaise is for entrepreneurs to keep plugging away and for all of us to utilize Small Businesses in our buying activities.  Small businesses hire faster, engage with customers better and innovate more than large firms.

Small businesses also barter, deal and discount more than big box stores.  Because their prices tend to be slightly higher, small businesses offer more value and customer service.  Most importantly, small businesses stabilize neighborhoods by renting properties not attractive to larger businesses.  This keeps their services close to your home and negates the need to burn extra gas driving miles to the mall or super center.

Small business owners are your neighbors, friends and relatives.  Give them your business if you want to see economic turn around.  A $20 purchase to you may mean nothing.  But to the small business owner, it may mean making payroll or not.

There are many resolutions being made today, most doomed before the end of the month.  But try to make and keep this resolution; shop small business once a month this year.  You may keep someone employed, find a new best store and make some lifelong friends.

Well worth the price difference isn’t it?

Have a safe, blessed, prosperous and productive 2012 and pass it along.

For more statistics on Small Business, see Entrepreneur.com.

Craigslist Requires Homework

Craigslist is a great Internet resource. You can find goods, services, jobs and friends on the site. And a little humor as well.

Recently, there has been an increase in Craigslist tragedies due to economic desperation. People searching for jobs have lost their lives instead.  It seems that the criminal element has taken the depressed economy as an opportunity to prey on the desperate.

So I hereby plead; support your friends and family who are out of work.  Help them research jobs from individuals or small companies before an interview.   If suspicious, drive them to the interview and case the site ahead of time.  If you get a strange feeling, urge them to leave.  Job seekers; always meet in an established office site or a public setting.  Never get into the car with the interviewer.  Follow them if they want to show you anything away from the meeting place and get an address you can text to friends or family.  Don’t get out of your car if they lead you to an abandoned or isolated site.  Drive off and report them.  Never give anyone money to get you a job.  Report anyone who asks to the site they posted  on.

Most of all, if you are feeling desperate, reach out to someone.  Talk your feelings out and regain objectivity.  These are not dumb people being preyed on, just tired and depressed.  Their depression leads them to see hope in the job postings and the criminals prey on this.  Help yourself and your friends by staying safe during your job search.

And most important, write to your Congressional Representatives.  Let them know how desperate and upset you are.  It’ll make you feel better to let off some steam, and maybe some action will take place in Washington where it counts.

Oh No Netflix, Not You Too!

Well times are hard everywhere folks.  Now Netflix, a company who made a $83 Billion profit in 2008, is crying that they need to double customer prices to pay for new content.   Please note, they just made an 80% price hike 3 months ago.  So, for their short-sightedness we, the customer must pay.

This presents just the latest example of big business stomping on those who made them big business.  Netflix was just a little nobody in 1999 when I initially joined.  I loved not having to run out and get a DVD from the store only to find it was “out”.  After a few years, I dropped out and used cable for a while.

I came back to Netflix a couple of years ago as part of a streamlining of my lifestyle.  I spend lots of time on my computer, but not too much watching TV.  Netflix made sense over cable as a cost efficient entertainment option.  I use both DVD and streaming because many of the things I want to watch are not available to stream.

In a recent article on CNet Greg Sandoval questions if Netflix will change their mind,  Since their CEO’s response is “our prices are our prices”, it doesn’t look good.  This anti-consumer attitude is what caused customers to leave Blockbuster in droves.

Hey Netflix, your customers helped you grow with word of mouth and loyalty.  This is because you were a great place to do business. Now, you are just another evil empire.

Maybe Netflix will wake up and go back to their origins or perhaps they will forge a new business path and listen to their customers.