Why Business Owners Rock

Conversation #1: On the way into to the office today (today being a very snowy Friday), I overheard a guy on his cell phone in the subway station saying, "Take your time on the job. Spend as many hours as you can and work slowly. Don't worry about it. I don't like the owner and I want to see him pay. Besides, he will never know." 

Conversation #2: A few hours later I spoke to a friend of mine who is a 70-year-old business owner. He said, "Rob, we are losing money and I have cut back on people's salary 10-20% to stay in business. To tell you the truth, I don’t expect the company to produce enough cash for me to take any money out of the business myself this quarter. But I’ve got some money. What I’m really worried about is keeping my employees who really need the paycheck employed."

I have said it before—business owners are heroes. We put ourselves and our families through risks and tough times, and many of us put our employees first. On top of that, some owners employee people like the guy I heard in conversation #1 (I wonder if he knows there is a good chance that at some point last year, "the owner" reached into his own pocket to make payroll). If you are an owner, pat yourself on the back. I salute you.  If you are not, go find one and give 'em a hug.