MY HEROS
Every
time I drive through an industrial park I am struck by the hundreds of
small businesses lining the streets, hidden at the ends of long driveways,
or cloistered
in the basements of large buildings. Some are oneperson bands, while
others might hire up to 50 people. But studies show most have fewer than
nine people
working in them, including the owners.
What impresses me most is that thousands of New Zealanders are self-employed
or owners of small businesses who are working hard to scratch out a living,
reliant only on their skills, their ability to work hard and their willingness
to take risks. They may be tradesmen or professionals with a marketable skill,
people with good ideas or natural-born salespeople who could sell ice to the
Eskimos. But they are all heroes in my eyes, for they are the backbone of this
country.
It is on the shoulders of these entrepreneurs that the economy of this country
is built. These independent operators are job creators, not job takers. They
are contributors to the government’s coffers, not a drain on its resources.
They stick their heads out and take risks instead of hiding under the security
blanket. These people, who are motivated by their own goals not by some manager’s
carrot or stick, create much of the wealth that allows us to enjoy the New
Zealand lifestyle.
While academics and politicians talk about innovation, entrepreneurs do it.
While consultants write about customer relationship management, small business
owners spend nearly every minute of their days in contact with their customers
- and their income depends on how well they do it too. While big firms spend
huge sums of money making promises to their customers, small business owners
just get on and deliver the goods because they know their future is dependent
on their past performance.
The sad thing is, we don’t treat our entrepreneurs as heroes. It is the CEOs
of large companies who get the status; yet at the end of the day they are just
highly paid employees playing with someone else’s money. It is the politicians
who get the media attention; yet they are slowly strangling small businesses
with endless regulations and demands for the entrepreneur to do the government’s
work such as collecting taxes and keeping records. It is the athletes who get
the glory (and the government sponsorship); yet very few make any lasting impact
on the nation’s economy, or on the quality of our lives for that matter.
It is people like Pete the plumber in his old van, Mike the mechanic in his
greasy workshop, Alice the accountant on Level 2 of the building across the
street, Fred the high country farmer, Ivan the importer with a warehouse down
the back, Sharon with the corner shop, Bill the independent insurance broker
working out of his car, and Daisy with her direct marketing business which
she runs from home who are creating wealth for this country. They demand little
from anyone else, happy to depend on their own resources, asking only to be
left alone to work in their businesses.
If you are self-employed or the owner of a small business, hold your head
up high and walk a little taller today. You should be proud of your independence
and your ability to support yourself. You are making a valuable contribution
to this country.
If you work for one of these people, admire their courage. It is only because
they are prepared to risk everything they have that you have a job. They are
providing you with the opportunity to earn the life style you enjoy.
If you are a politician or a bureaucrat, support our entrepreneurs. If they
all decided tomorrow to fire their staff and look for a job, unemployment would
explode and taxes would soar. Without the selfemployed and the owners of small
businesses, the economy would crash.
They are our unsung heroes. Why not treat them that way?
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