Back to the Basics

      When businesses get in trouble, the solution is very often to go back the basics.  In my book, Business Fits, I give many real life examples from the last forty-five years.  It is interesting how technology changes, but the basics of business don’t change. 

      I think we need to go back to the basics in government too.  Last week Rick Santorum announced that he was running for president.  He is a conservative who says he wants to restore the American dream for hard working Americans.  He gave simple workable solutions for tax reform, the war on terror, immigration reform, protecting individual rights (even for Christians), and stopping the out-of-control growth of government and government spending. 

      His solutions were simple and workable except for the problem of big business, big government, and the political elite that do not want to give up their power and control.  Both big government and big business are in cahoots together.  To blame one and not the other is naive.

      One of the shows I enjoy is The Five on FOX.  When they covered Santorum’s announcement, several people on the panel criticized him because he didn’t have any new and innovative ideas.  The panel disgusted me with these statements.  We don’t need new and unique ideas.  We need to get back to the basics and the Constitution.  We need to elect a qualified President that wants to restore the American dream.  I am not endorsing Santorum, but I liked what he said. 

      We don’t need a rock star or celebrity for our President.  We need someone with knowledge and experience that will represent the working class and the American entrepreneur.  There is a marketing strategy in business called “Sell the Sizzle.”  This strategy is effective, but the product must be a good steak.  Just the sizzle with no meat doesn’t work.  How many of you are old enough to remember the old Wendy’s “Where’s the Meat” ad campaign?

It was nice to have a black president, but it would have been better for the country if he had some experience.  I am an advocate of on-the-job training in business, but not in the Presidency. 

It would be nice to have a woman president at some point in time, but more importantly, we need a qualified President that will address the nations problems.  We need a president who is not in bed with big business and big government.  We need a President that will restore the American dream for the American worker.  We need to take this country back from the political elite. 

http://BusinessFits.com

Spare Us Your Brilliance

        “Spare us your brilliance for the first year” is a common instruction to new franchisees by franchisors. A proven business system is the greatest asset of a franchise.  The new franchisee must learn and implement that system before making or suggesting any changes.  If the new franchisee is not going to follow the system, he or she should never have bought the franchise.  Not following the system is a leading cause of franchise failure, second only to divorce.

        After the first year, franchisees do make significant contributions to the business system.  McDonalds started with a hamburger, cheeseburger, fries, and a shake.  The rest of today’s menu came from franchisees.  Franchisees serve a vital market research role to keep the franchise viable in an ever-changing market.   No individual business could afford this continual market research. 

        For more about franchising read Business Fits.  http://BusinessFits.com

        This is the season for graduations.  High School and collage graduates could also heed the “Spare us your brilliance” advice.  It would be nice to start one’s career in the perfect job, but that is often unrealistic.  Get a job, any job, learn that job and do it well.  Only then should the new hire try to show their brilliance.  Remember the world is not fair and does not owe you a living. 

        Congratulations to all new graduates.  Best wishes and good luck.

The Root of the Problem

        I’ve been so worried that our great Country had some serious problem.  I was concerned with an out of control federal government, government debt, failed federal policies, big money buying elections, partisan politics, corrupt and incompetent government officials, and government cover ups.  I was thrilled to learn these were not the problem. 

        I heard our Commander and Chief, President Obama say the real problem was Fox News.  I am so relieved.  I thought we had problems.  Now that we have identified the real problem it should be easy to find the solution.

Or maybe not.  Trying to blame Fox News for all our problems is so ridiculous that it would not even make a good Saturday Night Live skit.   The really sad thing is that the Progressives actually believe this bull.

        I am a news junkie.  I watch several networks every morning.  I usually start with ABC or CBS, then CNN, and finally Fox.  I admit I seldom watch NBC or MSNBC (AKA government networks) unless I am looking for a laugh.  Fox News does not do as good a job at covering sports and celebrities, but does an excellent job covering government.  I do believe Fox tries to be “Fair and Balanced”, but it is hard sometimes.  I can certainly relate.

Every network makes mistakes and some even have anchors manufacturing stories about themselves to improve their stature and credibility.  Some politicians do that too.  The interesting thing is that when Fox screws up, the disclaimer is front page with everyone including Fox.  With the other networks, the mistake is and forgotten if possible. 

FOX News is not the problem.  We need to deal with the real problems including out of control federal government, government debt, failed federal policies, campaign spending reform, partisan politics, corrupt and incompetent government officials, and government cover ups to name a few.

Freedom of Speech

         The First Amendment to the Constitution guarantees us the right of free speech.  Unfortunately, some extremists think we should have free speech only if that speech agrees with what they believe. This includes political, religious, race, and gender extremists. 

        Two Islamic extremists attacked a Muhammad cartoon contest in Garland, Texas.  An alert traffic cop put the two gunmen down.  Some political extremists try to make the argument that freedom of speech should not allow people to offend Muslims with a Muhammad cartoon contest.  I agree the contest was probably a stupid idea, but that right is certainly protected under the First Amendment.

        I get frustrated with the political correctness of avoiding offending Muslims.  We are at war with radical Islam and they are Muslims.  Muslims need to rise up against radical Islam. 

        Freedom of speech does not give radical Islam or anyone else the right to use the Internet for recruiting Jihadist fighters to kill Americans.  This is a terrorist act of war and should be dealt with as such.

        Why is it we are only concerned about offending Muslims?  Christians are made fun of every day and it is totally acceptable.  Christians are restricted in how they can practice their religion in a clear violation of First Amendment rights.  Politicians sometimes refer to Christians as right-wing extremists.  How did this happen in a country founded on Christian principles?

        Some words are considered politically offensive, but freedom of speech gives us the right to use them.  The “N” word is one of the most offensive, but I was recently in a production of To Kill A Mockingbird and the “N” word was used extensively.  The word was necessary for a realistic production. 

        I had a sister who fought cancer for decades.  I lovingly refer to he as a “tough broad”.  I certainly don’t feel the word “broad” is derogative used that way.  Different words have different meanings for different people and we have the right to use these words. 

        There are restrictions to our right to free speech.  For example, we cannot yell FIRE in a crowded theater creating a panic.  We cannot incite a riot. That is a crime.  If we intentionally slander someone, we may be liable for that action.  If we lie under oath, it is perjury and a felony. 

        I feel our elected officials and leaders should be held to a higher standard and not a lower standard.  Why is it okay for an elected representative to make flagrant lies on the floor of Congress and not be subject to any prosecution?  I strongly support the right to free speech, even if stupid, but politicians need to be held to the same standard or a higher standard. 

        We need to elect political representatives that are honest and trustworthy.   

Personal Responsibility & Behavior

       Coverage of the race riots in Baltimore, Maryland last week showed a woman removing her teenage son from the scene.  She was scolding him and physically hitting him.  The video shows her pushing and shoving him and pulling a ski mask from his face.  It shows her slapping him in the face several times while giving him a verbal tongue-lashing.

        The boy was not hurt except for his dignity and pride.  The embarrassment in front of his friends will take some time to get over. 

        The woman is a single parent with several children.  Some people say she should be nominated for Mother of the Year.  Maybe she should, but isn’t it the responsibility of a parent to teach their children proper behavior?  Where were the other parents?

        I am a little surprised I haven’t heard any liberals saying the mother should be prosecuted for assault.  Slapping him is corporal punishment and he could have experienced some pain.  He certainly experienced some embarrassment and emotional trauma.  She even used language that was not politically correct.  Maybe she should be reprimanded for that.  Maybe she should have met her son at the bus or school and walked him home.  He is a teenager, but I have heard of people being jailed for letting a ten-year-old walk home alone.  Why haven’t we heard from the liberals?  I guess they are just too busy promoting the protests. 

        Things have changed since I was raised, and I don’t think for the better.  That was a long time ago, but I was taught to respect the police and my teachers.  If I did something wrong, I was even more afraid of my parents.  I never heard of a timeout.  That would have been a treat. 

        I was taught responsibility and a strong work ethic.  Parents assumed this responsibility.  There were no excuses or attempts to transfer parent’s responsibility to the schools or government.  

        In the rural area of Iowa where I was raised, kids grew up fast.  They were given responsibility at an early age.  All farm kids had chores from a very young age.  Parents would have laughed at someone being prosecuted for letting a ten-year-old walk home alone.   At ten, farm kids were operating tractors and cultivating corn without supervision.  At age ten or eleven, my ex-wife cooked, cleaned, and cared for a neighboring farmer and his five children while the mother was in the hospital with number six. 

        There seems to be a direct correlation between the decline of the strong, traditional family unitand the lack of personal responsibility, responsible behavior, and a good work ethic in our young people.  Government should consider this, and stop throwing money at programs that not only don’t work, and in some cases make the situation worse. 

It is time for real change.

Start Small and Grow

       This is one of the subjects I address in the chapter “Myths About Starting a Business” of my book Business Fits. 

The opportunity to start a small business and grow into a large business might have been viable at one time.  There are always exceptions, but this is basically a thing of the past today. 

A quick look at any downtown business district will verify the changes in retail business.  Franchises and chains are replacing the small independent business owner.  We see all kinds of small businesses closing as chains and franchises take over specific industries.

Today’s consumer demands the selection, price, and attractive image that the chains and franchises offer.  Franchisors have learned this and that’s why they have a minimum investment for new franchisees to market effectively and attract customers.

The opportunity to start small and grow is not realistic for a variety of reasons. The small start-up usually does not have the resources to expand.  The owner often works in the business so they don’t have time to run the business.  Because the owner works in the business, they also don’t have the time or sometimes the talent to develop a good working business system. 

Don’t make the mistake of thinking a fast increase in sales will generate enough profits to finance the growth.  Rapid growth of a business may actually put a company out of business.   I give an example in Business Fits of when I bought a Ford-Mercury dealership and tripled sales in ninety days.

There are still exceptions for specific industries, like the dot-com business of a few years ago.  Just remember, any success story you hear is the exception rather than the rule.

Read more at http://BusinessFits.com

Crime & Punishment

        The last time I was in Las Vegas, there had been a gang shootout in one of the main intersections on the strip.  Not good for tourism.  Is there a problem with law enforcement?

        On a previous trip to Las Vegas, I was talking to a cab driver that was a life-long resident.  He said he was about ready to retire and he was leaving Las Vegas because of the street crime.  He felt Las Vegas was a safer city when it was run by the mob.  He said there was no street crime then.  

        This sounds a little crazy until we think about it.  The mob ran the casinos and wanted to keep the city safe to attract gamblers.  When the mob ran Las Vegas, there was no street crime because punishment was swift and severe.  Maybe we can learn something from this.  I know I liked Las Vegas a lot better in the early 1970’s than now.  Maybe I was just young and more impressionable then.

        Our legal system today is certainly not swift and severe.  I would recommend you spend some time as a spectator in our courts today.  I have and it is quite enlightening.  I saw repeat offenders asking for bail when they had one or two prior offenses that had not been tried or plead out yet.  I understand why young offenders have no respect for the justice system. 

       Sometimes felony cases are delayed for years before they actually come to trial.  This is ridiculous.  Major Hasan committed a terrorist act at Fort Hood, Texas on November 5, 2009.  He was convicted of 13 counts of murder and 32 counts of attempted murder and was finally sentenced to death almost four years later on August 28, 2013.  That sentence still has not been carried out.  Our federal administration called it a work-place incident until recently.  There was no swift punishment. 

       Our courts and prosecutors are swamped with a backlog of cases and paperwork because of this lack of swift and severe punishment.  I understand the accused have rights too, but we have to clean up this mess.  I agree with rehabilitation, but if all it does in promote future offenses, maybe punishment is a better deterrent. 

       When we consider crimes committed by our political elite, the picture is even more depressing.  Politicians and bureaucrats do not have any fear of punishment.  They just cover up the incident until it is forgotten.  Prompt punishment is not even a possibility.  It takes years to even obtain the facts to start proceedings.  In most cases, the offender will be retired and forgotten before any charges are brought. 

        Partisan politicians from both parties feel pursuing old offenses of politicians and bureaucrats that are no longer in office is not good for their image, so they tend to drop the investigation.  Our Department of Justice has become so political that it is a joke.  If someone is actually convicted, the sentence is minimal.  If a bureaucrat is good at keeping his or her mouth shut and maintaining the cover-up, a pardon is always a possibility on a President or Governor’s last day in office. 

        We should let the mob run Washington DC for a while.  A few politicians and bureaucrats might go missing in the desert.  Just joking, but the mob did the job in Las Vegas. 

 We must make changes in our criminal justice system to insure prompt justice that will deter crime at all levels of our society.  If we don’t, street crime will continue to increase and our cities will continue to decline. 

        Vigilante justice is another result of a slow and ineffective court system.  I don’t think most of us want that.  The fact that people don’t feel safe is part of the reason for the increase in handgun sales for personal protection.