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Robinette's Apple Haus & Gift Barn /by "Powerbooktrance" Rapidian Flickr Group
Everybody I know is tightening their belt right now. Many have lost jobs ,and others worry about the possibility. I see less impulse spending and more talk of home cooking and low-cost entertainment.
But while there is plenty of uncertainty to go around, I am also seeing an increase in entrepreneurial creativity. A lack of confidence in the possibility of new company jobs to replace lost ones, is motivating people I know to try and figure out ways to gain more control of their own destiny and start new businesses.
From small restaurants to personal care services to hand crafted products, current circumstances have prompted people to try and invent new ways to bring in income.
While these individual endeavors are motivated by personal circumstances, I am convinced that, with the right encouragement, this new entrepreneurial spirit can and will lead our local economic recovery. We can't wait for a few big employers to fill the job gaps. As a community, we need to encourage new small businesses. We need to create new business incubators, design creative financing options and establish programs to help launch micro-enterprises.
I believe our future is best bet on empowering our residents to create their own opportunities. New, locally-owned, small businesses are the key to our community's future. Numerous studies have shown that generous (and expensive) tax incentives to try an attract bigger employers can actually result in commensurate job loss in the small business sector. Historically, it is small business that creates the majority of jobs in America.
We can't (and shouldn't) count on corporate America to create our future. West Michigan would be much better served if we did everything possible to encourage and empower local, small business development. If we can invest in, and leverage the current creativity and entrepreneurial energy, we could, together, design a new future for our community that is more livable, economically sustainable and uniquely our own.
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