As we know, small businesses have been taking a hit in this country. But the entrepreneurial businesses are what are supposed to keep this country going. They account for a good portion of jobs, and in a day and age when manufacturing and IT jobs have been offshored to other countries, the small business should be the backbone of the economy.
I’ve been thinking (for nearly ten years) about starting a business of my own. It’s kind of been a dream of mine. Of course, a sure fire, good business to open is a franchise opportunity, you know, like opening a McDonald’s or Subway. Both are sure winners. I mean, you get corporate help with the business end, plus with the product end. You can’t go wrong and I guarantee you, you’ll always make money.
But I want something a little more personal. Something closer to my heart. I want a Cyber-café/bookstore/art shop. I want to highlight area artists. Of course, I’ll take a cut off of anything sold there, just like any gallery would. But I’m also a booklover. So I want big comfy couches and lots of used books. And on top of that, being a tourist town, I want a cyber-café. A place where people who didn’t bring their computers on vacation can come in and surf the web. Or maybe someone needs to print something off, or scan something in. We don’t have a Kinkos here, so that is a pretty big need in this area.
Basically, I want a place where you can come in and surf the web (it would also be a wireless café so you could use your own lap top), have a cup of coffee or tea or soda, read a good book and discover local artists.
I’ve been talking to a friend about it. She loves the idea and wants to serve Italian Gellato. So she tasked me with checking into funding. Being disabled, I thought I might have a shot.
Seems like government small business grants have dried up. They don’t exist anymore. They did 10 years ago, when I first looked at this idea in Charlotte. However, seems two wars kind of has a tendency to re-direct funds. Congress is suppose to decide if they will release some funds to BANKS who will then supposedly lend to small businesses. See, the TARP money that so many of us on both sides of the aisle were against, was in part, supposed to do the same thing. Only it didn’t.
As a result, because of big box stores like Wal Mart, Home Depot, Target, K Mart (good luck finding one of those…we don’t even have one in our county) and Lowes, not to mention banks, specialized, mom and pop, true entrepreneurial businesses, the one thing that should save our country, is just about to be a thing of the past.
If I want a business, I’ll have to win the Lotto to get one.
Signed
the 46 year old cynic (been a lifetime member, however only now have I realized I was right to be one,) Lala.
