Small Businesses Need Credit
In his February 24th speech to Congress, President Barack Obama said the solution to our economic troubles lies “in the imaginations of our entrepreneurs and the pride of the hardest-working people on Earth.” As of 2003, well over 12.2 million Americans were self-employed. President Obama vowed to make it easier for entrepreneurs to get loans, which may be the only way for us to weather the storm of a struggling economy. Of late, many of us have seen a reduction in available credit that threatens to stop our business’s growth dead in its tracks.
When you own a small business, your life becomes a perpetual to-do list. Not being able to get loans and financing adds insult to injury. It seems as though the system is against us, but in fact the US creates and fosters more independent businesses than any other nation. Now that President Obama is working hard to give us the financial tools for success, it’s up to us to use them wisely.
Inspanning and Outspanning
“Inspanning” is a term of African origin meaning “to yoke an animal.” Inspanning is the process we go through when we start a small business. Slowly we become yoked by the business, which seems to take and take until we feel like we have nothing more to give.
This blog is about “outspanning,” or unyoking yourself from the stress of your business. In its original South African usage, outspanning referred to the unyoking of an animal. We’re going to focus on unyoking people from the oppressive struggle of making ends meet without a surplus of cash. For our purposes, “small business owners” may also be heads of their household, church, or even a small town.
By creating a safe place for small business owners to talk about their struggles and share solutions, we want to help you unyoke yourself from the stress of living and breathing nothing but work. We encourage our readers to share the tricks you’ve discovered for making your business run more smoothly and for relieving stress. How do you keep yourself going every day?
I want to expand a bit more on why I named this blog with such an obscure name. I wanted to use outsourcing, but was advised by friends that it would probably be met negatively. You know, American jobs going outside our country is kind of negative.
Actually, I went to my trusty Webster’s Unabridged and looked up outsourcing and you’ve got to check it out to believe it. Outspanning was the very next word! The derivation was explained in our Welcome post, so if you missed it, just check it out.
I thought I’d really caught on to something unique.
While visiting my son and his family recently, I picked up the St.Louis Women’s Journal while having my favorite breakfast (lox/bagel) at Einstein Bros. in Kirkwood.
I read the headline…Can You Blend with an Enemy to Make a Friend? The use of the word “blend” seemed odd, so I read on.
I found I’m not the only one looking for unique words to spice up the vocabulary of old problems. For the next few minutes I was fascinated by Ms. Judy Ryan’s explanation and use of entrainment.
Sidebar: It has nothing to do with railroads.
First, she explained how one must first notice and appreciate the other person. You must have heard the expression, “the customer is always right.” Although Ms. Ryan’s exercise in Emotional Intelligence wasn’t directed toward small business, I picked up a lot of pointers from her article…like agreeing with others’ opinions and being SINCERE about it. She insisted on “entering fully into their viewpoint and how they see the world.”
This stuff has application for business and your life with friends, family members, and enemies. Check it out in the Archives of: www.stlwomensjournal.com – February/March 09.
“Can You Blend With an Enemy to Make a Friend?” ~by Judy Ryan, Expanding Human Potential
I’m actually going to give this a try…perhaps with my husband first.
Seriously, check out this article and please comment on it. It struck me as such a fresh approach.
Best,
Ruth Ann