Readers respond on small-business owners' plight

Last week's column on the challenges faced by a local small-business owner has drawn a variety of responses.

As you may recall, that column focused on John Carrasquilla, owner of the Johnniebeefs restaurant in Midvale. He talked about the nosedive his sales have seen since early October, when the government's financial bailout package was under debate in Congress.

He also said he is not sure his business will survive, but he remains hopeful that people will overcome some of the negativity of the last few months as Christmas draws near.

John's situation struck a chord with Brady Tanner, a longtime friend of mine who is part of the third generation of his family to run Classic Cleaners in Salt Lake City. The Tanners recently opened a new location for the business, which is always stressful.

Brady sent me an e-mail to say he is not sure he would be classified as a small-business owner, "maybe just a dreamer."

"No question you can't continue to rely on the same biz," he wrote. "We are trying things now we have never done before. Got to stay one step ahead."

I believe that's always true of small-business owners, but probably even more so when the economy is struggling.

Another reader, Mark, wrote to say that he recently launched a small business that sells and installs home automation and theater systems.

"I know that the odds (are) against new businesses succeeding, but felt that we could work to be successful," he wrote in an e-mail. "A challenging economy hurts the majority of businesses, but we sell what you might call 'affordable luxury.' When people are worried about their 401(k), high gas and utility prices, job security, etc., home theaters and automation don't exactly rise to the top of life's must-have 'staples."'

That may be true, Mark, but it sure is cool!

However, as usual, I digress.

Mark went on to write that he thinks most entrepreneurs love the challenge of competing.

"We start with the idea that big companies were once small like us, and that we all play on the same field of business reality — that we face the same markets, employee challenges, cost structures, liabilities and tax," he wrote. "The most discouraging thing to me is to read in the newspaper about big companies from banks to automakers pleading for a rescue or bailout from 'the government' — which people forget is US the taxpayers. This is very demoralizing. Not just because they are getting the money without facing the truth, but because I can't go get a working capital loan (not handout) from those same banks! Why? Because my business is risky — due to guess what? An economy faltering from mistakes I didn't make. The irony.