I just got back from a trip to Yosemite with my kids. The trip inspired a number of thoughts about business – specifically your business that I thought I’d share.
First I was quite humbled by the beauty of Yosemite valley. It’s quite a remarkable place – one that I had taken for granted on previous trips.
Even more humbling was learning that Yosemite first became a protected wilderness area by Abraham Lincoln – over 150 years ago.
Kind of weird to think that he and I were both looking at the same amazing view. He is of course best known for freeing the slaves – a fitting thought for Independence day don’t you think?
It was during this trip that I made a major news announcement about a new small business bailout program that I’m personally funding. If you haven’t found your way to my newsletter through this program, you can learn more by visiting www.bailoutusa.com – and be sure to tell your friends about it.
I got a bit fed up with President Obama spending trillions bailout big businesses, with the little guy getting ignored. What I find fascinating about this is according to Obama’s own Small Business Administration website, roughly 7 out of 10 new jobs are created by small businesses.
These are “net” new jobs – as in if a big company lays off one person, but hires a different person back that doesn’t count.
This trend of 7 out of 10 truly new jobs being created by small business has been true for well over the past decade. It’s especially true during a recession.
I really don’t understand why as a country we invest so much in bailout out big companies that factually do not create new jobs (you know the kind of thing that would be useful in a recovery), when the source of new jobs is crystal clear – small businesses.
So I decided to launch my own bailout program for small business owners by giving away 1 million copies of my latest book The Recession Proof Business. ( www.bailoutusa.com )
When I launched this Independence Day bailout a few days ago, I was a bit surprised to see a few visitors from the Obama administration visiting this website.
I guess they keep track of those who are active in the small business world as I am… or those who are critical of the administration. A few are likely even reading this email.
After my heart skipped a beat, I realized I had nothing to worry about. I (very, very thankfully) live in the United States of America – a free country.
I had flashbacks to a story I heard on June 4th (not July 4th) which was the 20 year anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre in China.
I remember reading a letter that was posted online by one of the soldiers who participated in that event. At the time he was perhaps a 19 year old kid following orders to kill his fellow countrymen.
20 years later, with the wisdom of time and hindsight, he wrote that he regretted his involvement in that day–and has not slept well since.
As the June 4th incident anniversary came, this soldier with a conscious mysteriously disappeared — as commonly happens to those in China who are critical of the government there.
As many of you know or may have guessed, I am ethnically Chinese.
I find myself thinking that there is this guy (who is now missing) half way around the world who is genetically not all that different from me. We live separated by a few thousand miles.
He was critical of his government, as I am of mine (though clearly his argument is much more important than mine)… and here I am writing to you, and who knows where he is – alive, dead, or imprisoned somewhere.
So my July 4th, was clearly a lot better than his June 4th… and while I definitely find his disappearance awfully suspicious, I am reminded of my freedom especially in comparison to the lack of his.
And one of these freedoms in addition to being able to say what you want without fear of harm is the freedom to make your own life for you and your family.
The freedom to create, build, and prosper from your own business is very much a freedom… including the freedom to earn absurd profits.
This is a freedom that is not available to every person on this planet. It IS a point worth remembering.
And it is in this spirit of gratitude and appreciation for the freedom we all enjoy that I decided to create a new bailout program just for small businesses.
If you haven’t already, visit www.bailoutusa.com and be sure to tell your friends who also enjoy the freedom to run their own business to do the same.