Lowrence wrote:Probably due to the fact that you have never established your own company.
I can admit that liberals getting together can be self-congratulating and annoying, however, nobody plays second fiddle to the right-wing small business owner when it comes to patting ones-self on the back.
Have you ever driven through Barstow Nevada? Plenty of business owners to be seen. Not sure that's the vista that comes to mind when day dreaming about the greatness of America.
I've known my share of small business owners, and I will make a distinction between small business owners and entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurs are on another plane of existence, for both good and bad. Not many small business owners are entrepreneurs -- at least they aren't for long.
Small business owners are quite often people who are difficult, don't get along with others well, can't take criticism, can't follow instructions, and march to the beat of their own drum. They can't handle working a regular job, and so in a way, they're forced to start their own business. Owning a business for these folks is a compromise. They get some flexibility from "BS" and answering to a boss, but they still have to learn much of the hard lessons they would at a job, it's just in a less abstract format that makes the lessons easier to follow. For instance, that thing the boss yelled at you about, well, maybe it mattered maybe it didn't. As a small business owner, when you face the underlying condition that prompted the yelling, you can decide how you've got to deal with it. When your own money is on the line, that angry customer might have a point. Seeing the connection between the unhappy customer and your own loss of revenue makes it easier to learn the lesson, should you be willing.
I grew up in rural America. I recall riding my bike into town with my friends occasionally to spend some of the money I made mowing lawns or from paper route. With the exception of McDonalds, I don't recall any chain stores, everything was locally owned. I had to psyche myself up to walk into some of these places. It's their store, you're in
their store, and by golly, if you don't show some respect they can kick you right out of there! Buying a tape was a lot of pressure. Even worse was the movie theater, the owner would walk around during the movie with a flashlight and yell at kids for spilling popcorn or putting feet up etc, even though the theater was beat to hell. So when people talking about the big chains coming in and taking away from small businesses, I have to shrug; not always a bad thing.