What Small Business is Saying about the New Stimulus Plan
Obama has now signed the eagerly anticipated new stimulus plan, and small business owners aren’t jumping for joy. In fact, if you stroll around the web you’ll find small business owners are continuing to voice their frustration with government policy, while few seem encouraged. To summarize their concerns, here’s the gist of what many are saying in comments to articles and blogs around the internet:
- Big business is getting all the attention with money distributed to them to survive; what about us?
- Where’s the application process for me to apply to get my share? Is there one?
- We don’t have big jets, parties, or bonuses, and we are taking salary pay cuts to keep from firing employees.
- Even after TARP, I still can’t get a bank loan.
- Credit is so tight that I can’t manage my cash flow.
So they need to be patient….hmmm… Bill Clinton says recovery could begin as soon as 15 months out and he would be surprised if we didn’t see a turnaround in 2 or 3 years. Can you imagine what another 15 months of all this will do to small business, let alone 2 or 3 years?
But then again, successful entrepreneurs are hardly pessimistic whiners by nature and probably don’t spend too much time complaining on the web. It’s harder to find their positive comments in postings, but when you do they are usually short and much sweeter:
- Hey, I think the small business tax breaks in the new stimulus plan are great!
- Smart business owners are prepared; we put away money in preparation for inevitable downturns.
- Adapt, people. Consider things like a 30 vs. 40 hour work week.
