We need more small businesses. We need some medium-size businesses too, and maybe a successful business that has become large, but what we really need are the small ones.
I’m not targeting any municipality or jurisdiction here — just repeating a universal truth that seems to have slipped away from our national and international conversations. Whether small businesses are a goal, a first step or a little of both, they are the real lifeblood of our economy and a symptom of growth.
National and state economic statistics — many of which are published or broadcast and then promoted by someone with a horse in the race and a position to defend — seem to be able to show whatever we like. There is so much data available now, a person or organization can prove whatever point is convenient using the right charts, graphs or comparisons. We are either in the worst or best of times — depending on who’s speaking and what’s being sold.
Our nation has a long of history of businesses of all sizes. The largest businesses — especially within the last 20 years, it seems — usually meet some kind of awkward ending and like a large ship striking an iceberg, lots of upheaval can happen. Smaller businesses not only have more at stake for the owners, but also tend to have more flexibility — particularly when there isn’t a brick-and-mortar location or set of locations involved.
In covering schools and other beats for our paper, I talk to a fair number of educators, high school or college students and 20-something adults on a regular basis. I can only think of a handful of conversations where a young person mentioned starting or taking over a small business as part of their future plans.
There probably will be some young people who inherit a small business from family or whose field of expertise leads to opening some type of small fixed-location shop. But, by and large, young people have their sights set on either working for a large company or government entity or starting their own unique business, such as a farm.
While it can be said young people have frequently aimed higher than their local town-square businesses throughout the history of business, it seems like there is an even greater shortage of appeal now. Think of some of the more unique businesses with Jasper County storefronts today — can you think of any young person who aspires to start up something as unique, in the same type of location? Me neither — the push toward larger cities with more resources is as strong as it’s been in 100 years or more.
That’s why we need to work together at keeping the concept of a small business alive in their minds. It isn’t just that there’s a middle ground between the hard-located business of yesteryear and a completely online arrangement, tied only to servers, clouds and a laptop. It’s also a concept of community that must have its value passed down.
West Des Moines claims its ordinance forcing AirBnB property owners to be on-site while renters are present is about safety and nuisance reduction, but I suspect the city simply doesn’t want to piss off Hyatt, Hilton and other hotels that have received large infrastructure investments.
The idea of property owners needing supplemental income, along with city over-regulation, are both pulls that wouldn’t be as strong if small businesses had a stronger presence. Local residents need more outlets for part-time income that were around in the past and government needs to be returned to the people in terms of answering to hundreds or thousands of business people instead of a handful of cooperate executives.
Contact Jason W. Brooks
at jbrooks@newtondailynews.com