I can’t believe it, but―it’s true! I was invited to participate in The White House Business Council’s meeting last week to give MY perspective on how the government can support the growth of small business and strengthen OUR economy.
Together with other small business leaders from across the country, I had the opportunity to brief Senior Administration officials on priorities, including how to create an environment conducive to job creation, specifically for small businesses.
Here is what it CONFIRMED for me:
1. All hope is not lost. There have been 48 straight months of consecutive job growth.
2. We are not there yet. During the recession, we lost 9 million jobs. Since then, we have only added 8.7 million jobs back.
3. We all need more help. The U.S. Small Business Administration quoted a survey stating that 80% of small businesses that fail, do not use/pay for an outside coach or mentor. And, the Small Business Association compiled additional data showing our need for more help.
Here is what SURPRISED me:
1. Small business is BIGGER than I thought. According to recent studies, there are 28 million small businesses and they employee nearly 94% of the American workforce (holy crap!).
2. The #1 page visited on the SBA's website is: “how to write a business plan”―You’re not alone if you thought it would be "getting credit or financing" (I did too). 
3. Some of my fellow entrepreneurs are still waiting for set-asides, hand-outs, and special programs. It should be clear at this point, the government is NOT going to bail us out (like it did for Wall Street and the car industry).
Here is what I am EVEN more COMMITTED to:
With all this said and learned, I am even more committed to RISING ABOVE the normal argument of business vs. government―let’s take it to GROWTH-MINDED, HARD WORKING, and SMART PEOPLE vs. LAZY ASSED, SELF-CENTERED, AND STUPID PEOPLE.
Funny thing is, there are both types of these people in government and small business. I know because I met them both last week.
I am committed to continuing to GROW entreQuest, even more, and to help other companies GROW by finding the BEST talent, developing their unique STORY, and building the RIGHT strategies, structures, and systems.
Rather than me challenging just you―Let's ALL challenge each other to not lose hope and complain about what the government is not doing… Instead, focus on seeing how they ARE HELPING and use it to our advantage.
In short, let's GROW REGARDLESS!
P.S. Thanks to Phil Walotsky for making this happen.
#themovementisHERE #growregardlessatthewhitehouse #timetomakeithappen #stopwhiningstartdoing
Joe Mechlinski is CEO and Co-Founder of entreQuest, where he's helped hundreds of companies prosper through some of the worst economic times in history. Joe's debut book, Grow Regardless, an instant New York Times bestseller, defines strategic growth, change management, and organizational development.
