Some Things To Be Thankful For
Cliff Ennico
www.creators.com
Thanksgiving#146;s over, except for the leftovers, but it#146;s never too late to remind ourselves that, no matter how bad things get for business owners in this country, there are many things we entrepreneurs should give thanks for every day we#146;re alive.
Here are some of the things every self-employed person should be thankful for:
The Rule of Law
. I#146;m not saying the U.S. Government is perfect by any means, or that our legal and tax system is always 100% fair to self-employed folks (it isn#146;t), but you should be grateful that you live in a country where people can set up their own businesses without having to pay #147;baksheesh#148; to corrupt officials or operate illegally because of outrageous regulations, taxes and policies that are designed to keep people from moving up the social ladder or challenging the status quo. If you think that#146;s too rosy a picture, ask any of the millions of legal and illegal immigrants living in America (they aren#146;t hard to find) what things were like where they came from.
A Pro-Entrepreneur Culture
. Fifty years ago, if you started your own business, you were perceived as a loser #150; too dumb or lazy to succeed at the #147;big company#148; game. Today, you are viewed as a hero. When you watch movies or TV shows, you rarely see entrepreneurs portrayed as the #147;bad guys#148; (come to think of it, they always seem to be lawyers . . . ) If you#146;re in a roomful of corporate people, watch their eyes light up when you say you run your own company, even if you#146;re not doing all that well.
The Computer
. While computers and software are often maddening to deal with, we should be thankful we live in an age where just about every human being can afford the technology and equipment necessary to start just about any kind of business. Not too long ago, if you wanted to start a business, you had to spend a fortune on machinery and labor (meaning lots of manual workers) before you could even open your doors. Now, you don#146;t need heavy machinery or labor (other than your own) to start most businesses, and if you do, you can always #147;outsource#148; your manufacturing, or buy secondhand equipment on eBay for pennies on the dollar.
The Internet
. There is really no such thing as a #147;small business#148; anymore. With the Internet, even a Mom and Pop business, or a one-person law firm, can reach a national or international marketplace at extremely low cost, and compete #147;head to head#148; with companies many times their size. You can access information online that not too long ago would have been available only to a privileged few in private libraries or in expensive training courses.
Your Spouse and Family
. You should be thankful if:
your spouse did not shoot you (or file immediately for divorce) when you announced you were leaving corporate America to work in your pajamas out of your spare bedroom;
your spouse actually encouraged you to get out and get started because he or she cares more about your happiness than your former paycheck;
your kids truly don#146;t mind that you may not make enough money to send them to Harvard, and are willing to buckle down and get jobs (or maybe start their own businesses) to help finance their own educations; or
one of your kids actually wants to start working with you so he or she can take over your business someday in lieu of going to Harvard.
You Are Surviving
. You should be thankful if you can say the following with a straight face every day: #147;I am not yet rich, but I am making a significant income, paying my bills and supporting my family by working out of the spare bedroom of my home. I am not entirely the #145;master of my fate#146; (no entrepreneur ever is), but I can say #145;no#146; to the wrong clients, and to projects that don#146;t make sense. I will never again work in a cubicle, put up with petty office politics, or kill myself to impress a boss who doesn#146;t deserve the power and authority he or she has been given. I will never again #145;pull an all nighter#146; at work so that someone else can spend a quiet evening with his or her family. If anyone is going to get rich from my labor, blood, sweat and tears, it is going to be me.#148;
Cliff Ennico (
cennico@legalcareer.com
) is a syndicated columnist, author and host of the PBS television series 'Money Hunt'. His latest book is #145;Small Business Survival Guide#146; (Adams Media, $12.95). This column is no substitute for legal, tax or financial advice, which can be furnished only by a qualified professional licensed in your state. To find out more about Cliff Ennico and other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit our Web page at
www.creators.com
. COPYRIGHT 2005 CLIFFORD R. ENNICO. DISTRIBUTED BY CREATORS SYNDICATE, INC. Permission granted for use on DrLaura.com.
