Congress from a small-business perspective

When a business runs at a loss, most business owners will say there are two ways to get out of the resulting financial hole: Cut expenses. Increase revenue.

Clearly, neither Republicans nor Democrats understand that concept.

The recent debt debate will provide professional talking heads with fodder for decades.

But I asked some better heads, three local small business owners, what they would like to say to Congress.

Although each had thoughtful answers, I was struck by what seemed to be a common concern, that Washington simply doesn't understand plain old income and outgo.

The three are Paul Chaudury, owner of Fresh D'Lite Grill, a Geneva Commons restaurant about to celebrate its anniversary; Tom Thomas, founder 20 years ago of TCA, the Thomas Compliance Associates, Inc., a Chicago-headquartered bank consulting firm and, so you know, client of my other company; and Mike Moebs, principal, Moebs $ervices, Inc., a Lake Bluff economic research and analysis firm.

“My first observation,” begins Chaudury, “is that people in government do not have a basic business sense. I don't see any numbers. I don't see anything in government about balance sheets, or profit and loss statements.

“People in government ... should be from the business world.”

Thomas initially offered “just one comment. The more uncertainty government puts in the marketplace, the more uncertain (business owners) are when it comes to expansion. The uncertainty,” he says, “impacts a business owner's willingness to spend money.”

Moebs' comments are similar. “It's hard for small business people to plan anything, and if they can't plan they won't spend money and create jobs,” Moebs says. “I can't believe the outcry from people close around me. “They're telling me, ‘I can't run my business the way these guys are running the country.'”

Thomas added the companion issue of consumer spending. “Employees become uncertain” in environments such as this, he says. “Consumers become defensive, and they won't make purchases.”

Moebs says “We have to put rules in place — stop lights and stop signs before you get on the economic highway. We need leadership.”

Standard & Poor's seems to agree.

Its downgrade of the U.S. debt rating hit the political process heavily, blaming “political brinkmanship” and “elected officials (who are) wary of tackling the structural issues” for much of the mess.

The legislation that ultimately raised the federal debt ceiling directed a then unnamed committee of 12 members of Congress to solve the issue by Thanksgiving.

Maybe the Committee of 12 needs its own Committee of Business Owners to provide insight and perspective.

Ÿ Contact Jim Kendall at JKendall@121Marketing Resources.com.

$PHOTOCREDIT_ON$© 2011 121 Marketing Resources, Inc.$PHOTOCREDIT_OFF$