A bill to boost small businesses is making its way through Congress right now. We're calling out to small business owners and the people who work there: Is your company hiring or firing? Let us know in the comments.
"There's an incredible sense of negativity and fear at the consumer level. I think it's unfounded: most people have their jobs and are working; people just aren’t spending like they used to."
—Walt Rowen, owner of Susquehanna Glass company in Columbia, Pennsylvania (on The Takeaway).
Right now, business is not easy. Each dollar earned requires lots of extra work. However, I see some areas picking up and people are spending small amounts of money again. I am checking out this bill right now. We need something like this because BIG business is not hiring so its up to (and always has been) small business to get people back to work! —Doug from Detroit
Hiring to improve the sales staff; not adding to staff laying off as we hire better people trying to do more with less income. Not much to choose from, though.
—Listener in Winchester, Mass.
Am a real estate broker from Central New Jersey. And I just want to say that this recession has caused me to work twice as hard for half as much money. And one of the really disappointing things is how poorly President Obama has handled this situation. The amount of credit that trickles down to the normal American does not exist. Mean while the big banks are buying as much as they possibly can and paying very very tiny amount of interest. President Obama, you have to help.
—Listener Bruce Parker, via 877-8-MY-TAKE
You wanna know if my company is hiring? It makes me laugh. We've been trying to fill an office position for over a year. You cannot find anybody who can spell, so therefore all our filing is completely screwed up. Or we can't find anybody who wants to work 9:00 to 5:00, Monday through Friday, without all their excuses for being late, leaving early, not coming to work at all. So yeah, I'd love to hire somebody from my office. I just wish I could find somebody with some kind of old school work ethic.
–Lorraine, from Fort Lauderdale
Right now, business is not easy.. each dollar earned requires lots of extra work. However, I see some areas picking up and people are spending small amounts of money again. I am checking out this bill right now. We need something like this because BIG business is not hiring so its up to (and always has been) small business to get people back to work!
—Listener Doug Pettigrew
I have a small business stringing pearls for jewelers and designers. So far this year has been better than last year! Last year was about half of the year before. I am not quite up to that pace yet, only about 2/3 back. I've been doing this... for more than 15 years. At first it was enough for gas money, but slowly, through word of mouth I have picked up a couple more accounts each year. I still need a full time job...dang that health care!...but if I was to hustle a bit harder, I could maybe see my way clear to support myself this way, in the next few years(?) I am working on paying off debt first, which must be eliminated for this plan to work. So... not really spending anything extra right now, drive a 10 year old car, local vacations, putting off the flat screen TV and the IPod for another year! (hahaha) I get nervous when they start talking about taxing services, my whole enterprise is service. I would have to try to pass that off to my accounts,and because I'm wholesale, they would pass it along to their customers, at twice the rate I was charging, so the cost of everything goes up and , especially in this non-necessity situation, a lot more people who are on the edge now would possibly tip over. I could forseeably need help ( i.e. employees) in the future, if I COULD get rid of the full time job and have the time to do more outreach. As it is I work 40 hours a week for someone else and then come home every night to work on my own jobs for 3-4 hours a night and at least one full weekend day. ( this week I am busy so I will work all weekend) NOT A COMPLAINT! I am extremly grateful to have these opportunities, so many others have it so much harder than I do.I am not exactly in Detroit though, so I don't know if you will need to hear this! I work in Madison Heights, and deliver goods all over Oakland County, and live in Oxford.
—Listener Julie Kellstrom