Do you own, manage or work for a small business? Does anyone in our family work for one?
If so, you will understand what I am about to say.: Small business people should do business with small business people – not the big, dumb corporations to which you are nothing more than a number in their accounts receivable report.
To a small business person, you are a valued customer and should be treated like one. If not, find one of his competitors who is smart enough to treat you like pure gold.
Tell him you are buying from him because you want to help a fellow small business person and perhaps he can help you,
Tell him that you’re through dealing with the big  boys who don’t care a hoot about either of you and hope he will do the same.
Little guys have to stick together.

Let me give you an example of how this works in the real world. 
Our friend Bill Dukes and his family own and operate 2 popular local restaurants, the Oak Grove Fish House in Lexington and the Blue Marlin in Columbia. 
Perhaps you are or have been a patron. 
If not, I recommend you try them.
When the governor closed all the restaurants, Bill and his son Ryan were forced to lay off most of their employees. 
Without cash flow, they had no way to pay them. And without customers, they had no work to give them.
Along come the brainiacs in Washington and offer small business owners paycheck protection, a way to keep going until the government would let them reopen.
The money was being printed with nothing to guarantee its value. This may work but our grandchildren will pay for it.
Bill Dukes went to a big bank he deals with and was told they couldn’t help.
He went to a 2nd bank he deals with and got the same runaround.
What neither bank told him was that they did not want to make small business loans because they were busy doling out million in federally-backed loans to big corporations who do millions of dollars in business with them. It made sense. The big corporation were lower risks because they didn’t really need the money to survive.
Bill finally went to his last chance, a small, local bank he does business with. The bank manager welcomed him and had his loan approved in only 6 days.

There’s more to the story. 
Washington wasn’t through doling out worthless money. They promised those put out of work by government decree $600 a week in unemployment benefits. 
This is in addition to almost $350 in state unemployment benefits. 
Suddenly those out of work making $400 more or less a week were eligible to make almost $4,000 a week for staying home.
Now that the restaurants can reopen, what do you bet Bill has problems luring some off his employees back?
I hope you will do business with Bill and Ryan and keep reading the Chronicle, We will treat you like a real customer.
Please email me your thoughts about this. Write JerryBellune@yahoo.com
Next: Network Nonsense

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