The hidden cost of war—small businesses
Tuesday December 30, 2003
I experienced first-hand the hidden cost of war earlier this year. On the day we want to war, I had over $20K in consulting contracts ready to close. And when we went to war, every single one of them put the project on hold indefinitely. Not only that, those were all marketing projects, so that meant my clients missed out on the additional business those marketing efforts would have brought them. So besides whatever my share is of the nearly $100 billion the war in Iraq is costing us, I'm down about $20,000 on it—how about you?
And I'm not even in the military! The Honolulu Star-Bulletin reports that the short call-up notice for the reserves is putting a severe hardship on small business owners.
For one thing, employers have to hold jobs open for reservists, which can be a severe strain on a small business, especially if a critical staffer is called up. What about when it's the business owner himself that's called, though? Floro Della, a building contractor in Hawaii, is going to have to lay off four workers, turn over his current projects to someone else, turn down four new projects that were due to start in January, and take a "big time" loss of income.
To serve in our military is truly an honorable thing, and yes, I'm glad Saddam Hussein's out of power. But in this day and age, when our chief executive can order a war without Congress ever declaring it (at least that's what I learned in school is supposed to happen), small business owners need to seriously consider whether the reserves and the National Guard are a choice you're truly prepared for. Consider not only yourself, but your employees, customers, and family. If you really are prepared to be called up, more power to you, but the modern reality is that it's no longer a one weekend a month, two weeks a year commitment.
Whatever happened to the good old days, when war was actually good for business? Maybe if you're General Dynamics or Halliburton...
Read the full article
And I'm not even in the military! The Honolulu Star-Bulletin reports that the short call-up notice for the reserves is putting a severe hardship on small business owners.
For one thing, employers have to hold jobs open for reservists, which can be a severe strain on a small business, especially if a critical staffer is called up. What about when it's the business owner himself that's called, though? Floro Della, a building contractor in Hawaii, is going to have to lay off four workers, turn over his current projects to someone else, turn down four new projects that were due to start in January, and take a "big time" loss of income.
To serve in our military is truly an honorable thing, and yes, I'm glad Saddam Hussein's out of power. But in this day and age, when our chief executive can order a war without Congress ever declaring it (at least that's what I learned in school is supposed to happen), small business owners need to seriously consider whether the reserves and the National Guard are a choice you're truly prepared for. Consider not only yourself, but your employees, customers, and family. If you really are prepared to be called up, more power to you, but the modern reality is that it's no longer a one weekend a month, two weeks a year commitment.
Whatever happened to the good old days, when war was actually good for business? Maybe if you're General Dynamics or Halliburton...
Read the full article
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