The United States is still viewed by many as the land of opportunity. Stories of fame and fortune abound from immigrants of generations past who migrated to this country with little more than the clothes on their backs. Through determination and perseverance along with blood, sweat and tears, those individuals and families became entrepreneurs and business owners who established a comfortable financial situation for themselves and their heirs. Seizing the hope of that history, people from abroad still come to America with such a dream in their hearts.
That dream beats in the hearts of others in our nation as well: Men and women who faithfully got out of bed early every morning and suffered through gridlock on the highway to arrive at a business that supplied a cubicle, basic supplies and a long “to do” list. Giving eight or more of the best hours of their day, these faithful employees worked hard to insure the success of the corporation for which they toiled. But one day, often without warning, those men and women arrived at the office only to be handed the dreaded pink slip and informed they were the victims of “downsizing,” or “outsourcing,” or some other euphemism that simply meant they were now out of a job. Not willing to give up, many focused on the “American Dream” and set their sights on establishing their own business.
Other small business owners made the decision to operate their own business because they wanted the freedom to work for themselves. Some disagree with the policies or practices of a large corporation while others desire to keep more of the fruit of their labors for their own family. And there are a myriad of reasons in between why men and women are starting up new businesses every day. According to the Small Business Administration – Office of Advocacy around 600,000 new small businesses are created each year. These are people just like you and your neighbors who want to capture that American Dream.
If you are a small business owner, you know the dream is often interrupted with many nightmares. Lisa and I are experiencing that with our own business. We have to learn how to navigate the tax laws for small businesses and the self-employed. Securing health insurance has proven to be time consuming and costly. I’m constantly opening another piece of mail from the federal government, the state, or the county that contains yet another form to complete or another regulation to which I have to comply. As any small business owner knows, you only generate income when you are using your time to produce your commodity or provide the service you market. You don’t get paid to investigate the tax laws, complete forms, or shop around for the services you need to keep your business afloat.
I’ve learned I cannot be an expert in everything. So, here at the Mahan 9 Group we have an established relationship with a financial advisor, a CPA, an insurance broker and a lawyer. Yes, I have to pay them to perform the tasks I send their way, but they are professionals and they can accomplish the task in less than a fourth of the time it would take me to muddle through it. And I know they have done the job correctly. That allows Lisa and me to focus on what we do best and to utilize our time to generate income.
As a small business owner, you may be tempted to try to do everything that is required for the success of your business. My encouragement would be to focus on what you do best and search out others to assist you with the matters that, while vitally important, are not your forte. And, if in the process of determining what tasks to hire out to others you decide to look for assistance with your web presence or public relations, I hope you’ll drop us an email or give us a call to see what we can do for you!
Our hope for you is that not only does the American Dream beat in your heart but that it shines forth in the success of your business.
(Originally Published on this web site August 22, 2011)
That dream beats in the hearts of others in our nation as well: Men and women who faithfully got out of bed early every morning and suffered through gridlock on the highway to arrive at a business that supplied a cubicle, basic supplies and a long “to do” list. Giving eight or more of the best hours of their day, these faithful employees worked hard to insure the success of the corporation for which they toiled. But one day, often without warning, those men and women arrived at the office only to be handed the dreaded pink slip and informed they were the victims of “downsizing,” or “outsourcing,” or some other euphemism that simply meant they were now out of a job. Not willing to give up, many focused on the “American Dream” and set their sights on establishing their own business.
Other small business owners made the decision to operate their own business because they wanted the freedom to work for themselves. Some disagree with the policies or practices of a large corporation while others desire to keep more of the fruit of their labors for their own family. And there are a myriad of reasons in between why men and women are starting up new businesses every day. According to the Small Business Administration – Office of Advocacy around 600,000 new small businesses are created each year. These are people just like you and your neighbors who want to capture that American Dream.
If you are a small business owner, you know the dream is often interrupted with many nightmares. Lisa and I are experiencing that with our own business. We have to learn how to navigate the tax laws for small businesses and the self-employed. Securing health insurance has proven to be time consuming and costly. I’m constantly opening another piece of mail from the federal government, the state, or the county that contains yet another form to complete or another regulation to which I have to comply. As any small business owner knows, you only generate income when you are using your time to produce your commodity or provide the service you market. You don’t get paid to investigate the tax laws, complete forms, or shop around for the services you need to keep your business afloat.
I’ve learned I cannot be an expert in everything. So, here at the Mahan 9 Group we have an established relationship with a financial advisor, a CPA, an insurance broker and a lawyer. Yes, I have to pay them to perform the tasks I send their way, but they are professionals and they can accomplish the task in less than a fourth of the time it would take me to muddle through it. And I know they have done the job correctly. That allows Lisa and me to focus on what we do best and to utilize our time to generate income.
As a small business owner, you may be tempted to try to do everything that is required for the success of your business. My encouragement would be to focus on what you do best and search out others to assist you with the matters that, while vitally important, are not your forte. And, if in the process of determining what tasks to hire out to others you decide to look for assistance with your web presence or public relations, I hope you’ll drop us an email or give us a call to see what we can do for you!
Our hope for you is that not only does the American Dream beat in your heart but that it shines forth in the success of your business.
(Originally Published on this web site August 22, 2011)
©2011 Michael C Mahan
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