Entrepreneurs, Emotions and an Election

It’s election day here in the United States. A 60 Minutes segment this past weekend talked about the mood of the electorate. It was called Anger in the Land.

It’s a story about Newton, Iowa which, like many communities in the Midwest, is still struggling in spite of the pronouncement that the recession has ended.

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We’re in the Midwest so we know the feeling. Many small business owners are still hurting. Steve Pelley, the host of the segment, interviewed several small business owners from the Newton area.

And that’s what really struck us. It wasn’t the anger as the title of the piece indicated. It was two different emotions.

Grief

Dave McNeer is the owner of Maxim Advertising, an advertising specialties manufacturer. His company had grown every year for 22 years. Then it ran head on into the Great Recession.

He had to lay off twelve of his 22 employees. He said that, before letting the first one go, he and his wife were all night. They talked. And prayed. He added that it was one of the hardest days of his life.

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My students are often surprised at how much the entrepreneurs we bring in as guest speakers talk about their employees.

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Many small business owners see their employees as part of their family. They don’t just work with them. They genuinely care about them.

That’s yet another reason why we need elected officials who do more than just talk about getting the small business engine revved up again. We need them to first, understand the small business owners’ mindset. Then they can create the environment necessary for small businesses to thrive.

Gratitude

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The small business owner who really got to me was Scott Creech, the owner of the Domino’s Pizza franchise in Newton for the last 21 years.

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Due to sales declines, he’s had to cut his staff from 22 people down to 7. So he’s doing what entrepreneurs always do – rolling up his sleeves to get the job done.

Unfortunately, that means he’s working overtime – he had worked 82 hours the week before the interview. His wife worries about his health. He comes home before his 10-year old son goes to bed before going back to work to finish up. When asked what the stress is like, he answered: “I’ve been blessed.”

Public servants

Yes, there is anger in the land. We need politicians who step up to the role of public servants again, who roll up their sleeves and work overtime to come up with some real solutions.

In the meantime, we’ll keep plugging away. We’ll grieve. We’ll be grateful. But we will find a way, with or without their help, to reach BIGG success!

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