Tweet

Brotherhood of Entrepreneuers

Guest post by: Nelson Davis

Article Overview: There have always been small business enterprises to hold families and communities together. Timeless, enduring and even biblical, our brotherhood will prevail and sustain our forward progress.

Brotherhood of Entrepreneuers

My TV screen, like yours has been filled with images of chaos and anger from the streets of Cairo. I think that many Americans feel a kinship with Egypt because we’ve heard about the country’s history since our childhoods. Since their small business history stretches over thousands of years, I expect that many of the protesters are merchants and other small business owners. In fact I heard an interview last week with an Egyptian man whose micro sized business consisted of selling table cloths and other fabric items in a marketplace near the square. Until this disruption, he made enough money to support a wife and two daughters, one of whom is getting ready for college. In another country closer to home, Cuba, we are also witnessing a wave of change. We can see the early results of their government program to lay off half a million government employees with the goodbye phrase, “you are now in business for yourself, pick up your license on the way out.” I believe there is a brotherhood of entrepreneurial thinking that knows no boundaries, nor is it restricted to a particular political system.

Here in America where welfare programs and many pension plans are under threat these days, we too will be getting some fresh lessons in self reliance and the entrepreneurial way. Only a hermit could miss the fact that our newspapers are full of stories regarding states and cities in fiscal crisis all across America. I suspect that if more politicians had ever had to operate a business involving their own money, we wouldn’t be in this mess, but that is beside the point. The fact is that many workers in the private and public sectors will be displaced and a lot of them won’t know what to do next. As much as I believe in the benefits of small business, I know that owning and operating a business is not for everyone. However, learning to think like a business owner may be the key to getting another job for those people.

In a small Cuban town near Havana, Marisela Alvarez says that she is now feeling more fortunate than she has in many years. In a New York Times interview she reveled in her new independence since she opened a little café in front of her house. Ms. Alvarez said “When you sit down at the end of the day and look at how much you have made, you feel satisfied.” All of this is new for Cubans, many of whom have relied on being government employees for decades since the Castro revolution. Who ever thought their socialist leaders would change their minds about simple capitalism or stumble into an economic morass.

In Egypt, just as in the United States, big business has been heralded as the key to the country’s economic stability and growth. In the 20^th Century large scale companies (over 500 employees) that mass produced goods and services became the symbols of modern business. However Egypt’s private sector economy seemed to be locked in a time warp, dominated by small businesses: tailors, metal workers, potters and farmers. They have a long list of business categories that rarely employ more than 10 people. They often have fewer than four employees and even the protests haven’t stopped most from doing business. They are part of the community fabric that will outlive the current government.

While we aren’t facing the chaos that recently enveloped Cairo or the completely misshapen finances of Cuba, something more forceful than a just a gentle breeze is beginning to reshape the American perception of small business. For several years we’ve seen the giant mother ships of manufacturing throwing people overboard to keep the enterprise aloft. Our governments at all levels have constructed expensive labyrinths of programs without sound and sustainable financial footings and the piper is now calling for payment. Even they are shedding employees. What used to be is no longer, and today’s realities point to a plethora of challenges. It is increasingly obvious that the person you meet in the mirror each morning had better have a personal marketing plan, very much like a well run business.

Those enterprising Cubans are taking the government’s offer to work for themselves seriously. Many are renting out houses, and selling things from their front yards. Some are making furniture and others are hustling homemade wine! According to the Cuban labor federation, the government is laying off around 500,000 of about 4.3 million state workers by the middle of this year. They are expected to issue several hundred thousand new business licenses to people tentatively wanting to join the entrepreneurial brotherhood. It was 42 years ago that Fidel Castro nationalized all enterprises in the island nation. South Florida in particular became the catch basin for Cuba’s fleeing entrepreneurial class at that time. Brother Castro seems to now realize that it will be small business that helps rebuild their faltering economy.

Whether in Cairo Georgia or Cairo Egypt, there is a virtual brotherhood of entrepreneurs. Ambitious people in Havana Illinois or the Cuban capitol are looking for the same sense of satisfaction, accomplishment and freedom. History tells us that politicians of every party and language eventually get it all wrong. Remember, our founding fathers worked for themselves and worked on the government, not the reverse. Just like sharks, cockroaches and Cher, the spirit of enterprise is a forever thing. There have always been small business enterprises to hold families and communities together. Timeless, enduring and even biblical, our brotherhood will prevail and sustain our forward progress.

Related Articles
  SMB-Speak: Small Business & the American Dream
  Cling On, Bitter Clingers!
  Social Networking and the End of Advertising
  Nice Guys Always Finish First – More Thoughts On Inspiration
  Imagine
  The Year That Wasn't
  Do Africans Ever Learn? Lessons from 10,000 nameless black men
  A Capitol Trip
  Andrew Carnegie Quotes
  The Employee Free Choice Act - What You Need to Know
  DRM Keeping the Treasure Hidden or Opening the Mountain
  Five Reasons the War on Terrorism Will Never be Won with Foreign Invasions
  How to Respond to Criticism – Learning from Dr. King

Article Tags: brotherhood, cairo, castrosmall business enterprises, cuba, egypt, entrepreneur, forward progress, small business owner



Related Forum Posts
Re: Feedback on a New Company Name - [quote="litekepr":1krjv27f]Not talking about a domain name. The sites I use to promote the tour business are already established. The idea is to have a name which includes what I do with that division of my business - it needs to be more personalized and professional instead just saying I'm Nikki and I coordinate tours. The SEO stuff is being taken care of on sites and blogs and other avenues. Anyway, I'm getting a lot of great feedback about the name and the search engines bringing up new posts and many older posts by me and about me that all point to my sites. Interesting perk I hadn't thought about. Shri[/quote:1krjv27f] Hi Shri, While I kind of see where you're coming from... but if the name is too long or descriptive, chances are it won't be very catchy or easy to remember. For instance, there's a company in Toronto called "BizLaunch" and their tagline used to be "We Train Entrepreneurs" (so that people would immediately understand what their business and website does). I think they've now changed their tagline to "Where entrepreneurs start", but the point is that "BizLaunch" sounds a million times better than if they had named their business "We Train Entrepreneuers". I think with some work, you could easily brand the name of your business (whatever you end up choosing) with the nature of its activities.


Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.

Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

Unharnessing Creativity in Business

When Living the Dream isn't enough!

Sales is a Flawed Model

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.