Congressional Coffee in Centerville.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Free-Press-Release.com) May 23, 2010 -- Loebsack Visits Small Business Leaders in Centerville

Congressman Loebsack was kind enough and interested enough to arrange to spend some time with me and a few of my small business friends from Centerville, Iowa. It was a great meeting.

We had a solid discussion about the plight of the small business owner. As a small business owner a few times over and operating a company dedicated to small business success, I’m getting a loud and clear message from meetings like the one today. Entrepreneurs are indeed alone.

The amount of regulation and responsibility thrust on the business owner is far beyond what any legislator or common citizen can comprehend. Frankly, it is far beyond what most of us as small business owners can understand. I will be the first to admit that I’m not and can’t be fully aware of and engaged in all the regulation. As a matter of fact it was owning or managing so many small businesses and not having professionals competent enough that drove me to start Commercial Resources, Inc. By no means is my company perfect but I am confident we have the truest heart for the entrepreneur of any firm in the country.

The Congressman seemed truly interested in hearing the front line experience that business owners face today. We discussed unemployment, health care and many other regulatory burdens

I guess I wasn’t shocked to hear that very few small business people actually contact him. The message from him was clear though, we need to make a concerted and continual effort to voice our thoughts, interests, and concerns. Without this, we are doomed to see the trend of increasing regulation.

We must deal with the fact that doing business is changing quickly and to survive we as entrepreneurs must face the music, roll up our sleeves, and start doing the hard mental work of strategically thinking about how we are going to survive. Sending letters and emails and making phone calls and attending meetings should make it on our lists.

We have huge challenges ahead. Regulation will continue to get more complicated. As it does, small business owners will carry much of the weight. Today I shared with the Congressman that we keep hearing about how small business is the backbone of our country’s success. The reason it is the backbone is because they are doing the work. Why wouldn’t the government love small business? We do a huge amount of administration. And while it seems free to many, it is costing our country, our businesses, and our families more than many can afford.

I have to give Congressman Loebsack some well earned credit for a couple things. First the meeting was his idea. His assistant Elaine Orr called me stating that the congressman wanted to have a quiet coffee with a handful of local business people. No press, just some people who care about small business. Second, he was sincere. Some questions produced answers we didn’t like. Others answers we did. When he knew the answer he shared it. When he didn’t he s