Wednesday, August 19, 2009

"We're only poor until October 1st"

Of all the things I can say about our business and yes there are many, the one thing I can assure you of is that there is never a dull moment . . For instance this past week has been spent working with one of our biggest clients (you'll never guess who!) on when they can pay their bills for services already provided.

Now I understand that the economy is still in recovery mode, though I do remember hearing last week someone saying the recession was over . . who was that? Oh that's right it was our biggest client. I should be more specific. Our client is an agency of the tax & spend crowd . . I don't want to names but their money comes from that magical place called the Fed . .

I'm getting off track again so let me refocus here . .

We provide health care workers for "our clients" project. Don't get me wrong this is a very worthwhile project and one we are happy to be part of, however, we are a small business and actually require payment to fund things like our employee's payroll, for example. Keep in mind we invoice for services rendered so we are out of pocket until we get paid, like most small businesses.

So after haggling back and forth, getting the run around, today I finally get the whole story. The problem is that "our client" runs their fiscal year from Oct-Oct, while most everyone else in, oh say the private sector is on a Jan-Jan schedule. The truth of the matter is that "our client" paid invoices for service year 2008 in 2009, because they paid late and didn't pay until after October 1st last year . . . So they have applied those payments against their budget for this fiscal year and now they have no more money . .

Apparently our method of accounting is just crazy . . because typically when we go to pay our bills we pay them with the money allotted for that service or expense, we don't take from next year's money just because we paid in a different accounting period. We are at an impasse because I can't grasp the complicated accounting system under which "our client" participates . .

So now we are stuck as a small, family owned business with deciding to fight this, as it a 5 digit loss we would be taking, . . We certainly don't have their resources, it could cost us future business (hard to believe I know) and for all intensive purposes they are broke until October.

My question is, "What happens on October 1st?" Amazingly the money trees in your privately owned bank will produce money you don't have to begin with? Perhaps we should all adopt this accounting method around, I don't know . . April 15th . .

-Nichole, in constant pursuit of life, liberty & happiness . . .

Monday, August 17, 2009

A Town Hall, A Spider Bite & Health Care Reform

I attended Senator Corker's town hall meeting today. Media worthy? Not so much . . A lot of the same old, same old. Don't get me wrong I am a supporter of Senator Corker's and do believe that he has common sense, morals and integrity but at the end of the day he is still a politician. Did I learn anything new? No. Did I see angry people wanting their voices heard? Absolutely. Did I get bit by a spider? Yes.

No this isn't one of my wordy metaphors, I really did get bit by a spider in the town hall meeting. That's the story I am sticking with otherwise I would have to tell you how their was this scary, liberal reporter standing near me and she could have injected me with any number of things . . But that would just feed the liberal conspiracy machine so for the purposes of this blog we are going with the spider theory.

Luckily for me I am already allergic to everything known to man . . trees, grass, dogs, cats, manual labor . . you name it I am allergic to it and so I was medicated with my daily Sam's brand "Benadryl". No, I don't buy it because I am cheap or don't have insurance, in fact I have the exact same insurance as Senator Corker. Do we pay the same premiums? I am going to go with no as we are a small business of under 50 employees . . he works for the nation's largest employer . . You do the math . .

But the fact is that I am very considerate with the benefits I have. They are quite expensive, believe me I write the check every month, but I stop to think before I whip out the old insurance card for something like a spider bite. Because every time I use that card I risk my premiums and those of all of our employees rising, we risk being able to pay less of their premiums or allocating more funds to insurance premiums and less to creating jobs. I am not sure Senator Corker and his colleagues have that same concern but it is one that many small business owners and self insured individuals face.

When we talk reform I hope that government will remain out of the way and allow private insurance carriers to allow small businesses and self-employed individuals to join together, under their own accord and without penalty, to create our own cafeteria plan for the life blood of this country, the small business. Perhaps with a plan such as this I will be able to write a smaller premium check each month and more paychecks. Perhaps with a plan like this a spider bite wouldn't be worth talking about . .

Thursday, August 13, 2009

A Letter to Myself on My 32nd Birthday . . .

So Nichole you made it to 32. 32 . . This is by far the hardest number so far . . . I know 40 is the new 30, blah, blah, but I just can't help but wonder what the Republic will look like in 8 years, a year, a month . .

I have always said there will be more time. More time to travel, more time to make the hard decisions I avoid, more time to fit in my skinny jeans, more time to open my heart to someone else . . In a sea of "this year I am going to . . ." I find myself hoping and praying for more time . .

They say a crisis is one of those moments that makes you evaluate everything about your life and see it in more clarity then ever before and they may be right. (Well unless you are Rahm Emanuel .. but that's another story for another day). Suddenly I feel that every day is about playing catch up for all those "more time" days I have had, that the moment for it all is now. I honestly feel more alive than I have in a long time because I am making those decisions of who I am and what I believe. I am finding me and in turn I see only great things ahead . .

I see my plan to do my 1/2 marathon as a way to find peace within myself and a way to honor the body that God gave me . . I see moments with my family as more than blurs of the same thing day after day (we own a family business , enough said) . . . I see that the best me might be the me I see right now because I am taking control of my destiny, as are 1000's of others out there..

I am not sure how many tomorrows there will be to do all the things on my bucket list. But I do know that all of the hard work I see like minded individuals partaking in around the country gives me a much better chance at telling my future children about the time Americans all over our nation joined together and saved their Republic . .

Monday, August 10, 2009

An Open Letter to DC From America's Largest Special Interest Group ...

To All Career Politicians, Their Lackeys and the Status Quo,I respectfully request your attention and know that you will be willing to listen, comprehend and act on my behalf as I am a member of this nation's largest special interest group. Which group you may ask? Though I belong to several . . I am a small business owner, daughter of a mother who is reaching retirement age, a business owner with a stake in the health care sector (we own a health care staffing firm) and a fiscal conservative among others. But the one you need concern yourself with is that I am an American, Voting, Taxpaying Citizen . . . a card carrying member of this Nation's Largest Special Interest Group.I and the millions of other members are the voice you should be hearing, loud and clear. We are the ones who have entrusted you with the most sacred of our possessions, our voice and our vote. Our vote and our tax dollars have given you unimaginable power and privileges and in turn you have run up an unpayable debt and are leveraging away the very things that make us all American. Somewhere along the way you began to believe you were given a blank check and Cart Blanche to do as you wish. I personally accept responsibility for these problems as I have let you believe that you had in fact been afforded rights that are in no way afforded to you. I have let you sell your campaign promises away to the highest bidder and have said little, but no more. We are the ones who have given our voice to you, most of you for far too long, and we are the ones who are now taking our voice back.We have funded your reign of spending and enabled you to be unaccountable, we have in fact created our own worst nightmare. That is no longer feasible, to take a term from the Washington playbook. You have taken something that people all across the world die for, a chance to be part of a democracy, and tarnished it until the restoration you have left with us is both too expensive and too hard to fathom. But make no mistake this is one journey we will gladly undertake for the sake of our Republic. It has now become a choice you must make, to stand with us for what is right and just or to continue on your current path of the status quo. That choice is yours to make but know this . . Your choice is now of little concern. We your largest special interest group are no longer willing to sit silently. You have broken our trust and you seem to be working tirelessly to break the spirit of what makes this country great. Instead of listening to those of us who endowed you with the greatest of position you believe that you know better than we what is best for ourselves, our families, and our communities. You have chosen to believe the American dream is expendable but we know better. The only things expendable are your careers in Washington.The Washington way you have grown accustomed to is no more. I have lost my voice over time, believing that one person could not make a difference. You continued on believing that my voice would make no difference. We were both wrong and no longer will I remain silent and no longer do you have the luxury of not listening.For if those we have elected to be our voice can not showcase the basic principles of what our Founders foresaw for us, then it is time for us to make you accountable. I am not asking that you agree with my viewpoints, that you vote my way on every issue or even that you respect my opinion because none of those things are required under our Constitution. However, you are required to hear my voice, to let me speak without fear and to know that you do owe me the truth of your decisions and choices. If you want to continue to be a leader of the greatest nation on Earth then you will start to act like a representative worthy of the honor.A leader by its very definition is someone who inspires us. From where I stand now the real leaders are far and few between. In their place I see career politicians, not public servants, who think in election cycles. Towing the party line is your status quo, not honoring the will the of the people and certainly not inspiring a nation.You have taken our money and our trust for far too long without question and the time is now that we unite in a single voice that you will not be able to ignore. Political parties are being put aside, as this is no longer an issue of opinions or ideological beliefs. This is much larger than any one issue that could divide us; this is our freedom, our liberty and our voice. From this moment forward our vote is no longer one you count on. Beginning now you will earn the votes you seek with honesty, integrity and respect for the offices you serve. If you cannot earn my vote there are many people who will find the call to public service that will earn that vote. Please consider this notice duly served and remember that no lobbyist or special interest group in America is more powerful or more important to you than that of the American, Voting, Taxpaying Citizen . . .Sincerely Yours,Nichole-In constant pursuit of Life, Liberty and Happiness . . .

Thursday, August 6, 2009

Unless You're Dead, Dying or Bleeding . .

Dear Mr. President, White House Staff, DNC, ACORN (and all of its many affiliates), Moveon.org, Organizing for America, the Apollo Project, GE . . . (okay this is going to take to many words so I am just going to cover anyone and everyone promoting the WhiteHouse Agenda), you know who you are,

I know that in the face of adversity to your agenda that you are forced to make tough choices to make sure your message is heard, and dissenting opinion is crushed, and that in order to do that you need your legions on the ground to report any dissent to you ASAP. Forget that little thing called the Constitution and that pesky 1st Amendment right to free speech .. .

I am not sure if you are aware of this or not because it is a theory I taught during my illustrious and impressive teaching career .. (2nd grade, inner city, Dallas, TX) but it truly worked wonders when dealing with issues of what I, the leader of the classroom, much like you the leader of the "free" world, needed/needs to know. Instead of turning in your friends for anything and everything. . . i.e. "He broke my pencil", "She called me a name", "They disagree with my health care policy and must be stopped at all cost", "She called my friend's socialist", well you get the idea. These are all things you or I in a leadership position don't need to know and really don't need to concern ourselves with since we are the leaders of a much bigger domain.

So to get to the point I would ask that you lead by example and share this with your network so that they can have clarification on what is imperative for them to report. Instead of collecting all the small stuff, the things that all citizens are allowed to say under that pesky 1st Amendment Right, you should only ask for information if someone is or is in danger of being "dead, dying or bleeding." Otherwise you don't need to know . . . Otherwise you are encouraging a nanny state where you encourage 2nd grade behavior and you allow a division of a classroom/nation over things that don't matter and are frankly none of your business . . .

Your maturity and leadership in this matter are greatly appreciated,

Sincerely,

-Nichole, in constant pursuit of Life, Liberty & Happiness . .

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

If Small Business Ran the Federal Government . .

This week we have probably had 20 sales calls into our office. As a staffing company we don't try to reinvent the wheel and stick with the tried and true. We are always interested in hearing what's out there but honestly we probably take 10% of what we look at, while it seems there is always a politician looking to buy whatever the next salesman (lobbyist) is selling . .

I understand in this economy that everyone is trying to make a sale and as a small business owner I am more than empathetic but we have set a strict budget for the year and are sticking to it, not only as a matter of survival but as a way of getting back to basics and focusing on what makes us money.

Like hundreds of others like us we have had to make the hard decisions to restructure ourselves for life in a recession and the uncertainty that comes with it. Instead of 5 job boards at $20k a pop we are working with 2, who after some report generating we discovered accounted for about 85% of placements made through those sources. It's amazing the things you don't cut out when the times are good. The perks that our travel nurses had come to expect are becoming sparse as their endless demands of the past few years are becoming replaced with the basics as travel nurses far outweigh the positions available. Yes, even the health care sector has taken a hit.

But as we start to emerge into a better picture in our sector and we aren't in a daily financial hell we are finding that we are in fact running much better in our streamlined mode. Just like a plane can only hold so much weight in order to get off the ground safely, it seems we are actually flying higher with less.

Of course there are always things we find we could do better but that is one thing I do know to be true about the small business owner . . we learn from our failures, our mistakes and our triumphs because at the end of the day we succeed or fail on our own terms . .

Which brings me to that other sector . . you know the one that is failing miserably and continues to ignore the simple rules of business . . the federal government.

Out of touch doesn't even begin to describe the colossal mess that is the Federal Government.. if they were a business they would be out of business. If their leaders were CEOs or COOs or CFOs they would be fired and possibly charged with criminal wrongdoing . . If they fell under SEC Regulation they might be sitting next to Bernie in a prison cell.

However, if they were operated like small business they would be able to make the hard choices for the good of their employees, the nation, because that is what is expected when you run a company. You work everyday towards making the bottom line the best it can be. If they were a small business they would take ownership for the decisions that they make and acknowledge that those decisions were just not made with the pain and fear of today but with the hope and promise of tomorrow.

So I suggest we have a week where small business will run the world . . well the United States at least . .

First of all we will have to start with our employee's salaries and benefit packages. Since our business is effectively broke and in need of quick, massive and sweeping restructuring . . for the good of the collective of course. We'll start with a pay cut, nothing major but since you only "work" about 200 days a year, and I think that's pretty generous we are going to move you to an hourly rate (commuting not included, though the actual reading of what you're voting on is both welcome and encouraged) and you will be punching in and out each day, just like your constituents. In addition only 50% of your medical benefits will be covered by your employer (as most small businesses do) and we will deduct the rest from your check.

As for benefits, well that lifetime pension thing . .. that just isn't going to be sustainable so we will start you a 401k or a Roth IRA you can pay into. As we are working hard to get that balance sheet in the black right now we won't be able to do any sort of matching for you but as soon as we turn a profit we will be offering a 3% match... Besides you'll have Social Security to fall back on ..

Now for staff . . . We understand that every one's office's require ample staff to do your job for you but in these lean, cost cutting times we are going to allow you 3 staff members who will be paid in accordance with the going rate in the private sector for a clerical worker. These workers will be paid out of your yearly office operating budget. Now don't get too excited . . this budget will be based on real world numbers that can help to effectively meet our goal of getting that budget back to black . . . In addition your yearly operating budget will cover any travel, office supplies, business lunches, haircuts, etc. And as with all businesses, the IRS likes to see those receipts . . .

Also those private planes you have been using to fly back and forth home on . . That isn't going to work . . If bankrupt auto companies can't do it, and I can't do it because it isn't in my small business budget, well then you can't be doing it either (because again in case you didn't get the memo) you're broke . . As part of your travel budget (in your yearly operating budget) you can arrange for transport home via commercial means (the VP takes Amtrak after all), which would give you a great opportunity to spend some time with your constituents as well, military transport could also be an option. Another bonus . . think of how much smaller your carbon foot print will be. The gas pump in the basement, yeah, it's gone too . . it just didn't seem very practical with all of you being so green, it probably wasn't even being used. . . so your driver/chief of staff (that operating budget will require you to consolidate positions) will have to pay at the pump like everyone else . . (don't forget the receipt).

So now that your offices are streamlining (and being more productive I bet) we are going to have to make some even harder decisions and it is going to be up to you to explain them to your constituents. First off, pork projects (actually pork, turtle, horse, moose, any animal, vegetable or mineral project) are going to have to go to the way side. We just can't afford to repopulate the mouse population right now as we have no money . . Also those pesky lobbyist who are always selling you something . . . (I know you do what they want just to support the little people) you're going to have tell them no, in fact you are going to have to tell them not to contact you until things improve financially . . .

Now onto all those super important government agencies we have . . You are going to have to help them get their departments in order as well. You will have to not only lead by example but actually stop enabling all the waste that got you in this mess...

For example the USPS . . . not making money for you (kinda of like Hummer for GM) so you will have to sell it off .. let FedEx or UPS buy it, you know someone with experience in the field and a balance sheet that isn't bleeding red . . I know that means you can't be all involved in the new USPS but it will allow capitalism to thrive in this country (you know the American Dream hard at work) . . and yes that is actually what the majority of constituents want . . Also Social Security is going to have to go . . You are going to have to give many friends the pink slip and potentially file criminal charges after you audit those books.. but in the spirit of do as I do you are going to have to end the biggest Ponzi Scheme in our nation's history . .

Also Medicare . . . it too is broken . . . and it must be fixed. So those plans for socializing health care are going to have to wait as here in the world of small business we don't start new projects until we can pay for what we have, because in case you haven't noticed our bank lines of credit have been cut, don't even get me started on American Express, and you don't have any money . . so, just put the health care bill in the file cabinet under wishful thinking . .

Then there is the thing about those consultants/friends you have been hiring under the cover of darkness . . I think you call them Czars . . . Unless they are private sector consultants in how to get out of debt they are going to have to go . . As we discussed before we don't have any money for transforming our nation . . we're going to have to do it the old fashioned way . . with hard work, determination and passion for what makes our nation great.

This is just a start but for one week I think this is a vast improvement over what you have been doing . . and is a great start on the restructuring of our Federal Government and the return of our Republic as it was intended . . . Next week we will start work on the IRS, Welfare and Government Bailouts.