Most of you are in the majority.  Most of you work in what is considered small business.  Those of you who work in larger corporations still tend to work in small business groups that have many of the same demands for profitability that a small business has.  And by the way, don't bother to try to determine what defines a small business, it's one of my pet peeves that there are no universally accepted small business definitions.  But it really doesn't matter whether you are a SOHO (small office home office), a small, small business (yep, that's a real definition), an SMB -small and medium business, or something similar.   Like many of you, I fall into the small business category.  So when I say the best thing we can all do for this still struggling economy is to do what we do better,  I'm speaking to myself too. You and I are vital.  It's not leaders in Washington.  It's not leaders of our individual state or cities.  It's each and every one of us and we owe it to each other to run the very best "small businesses" we can. 

To put some of what I'm saying in perspective here are some stats about my own state of Florida and the overall United States. While I guess many of you think that Florida is wholly dominated by retirees, vacationers (particularly in Orlando), and people who can't count votes, truth is we and our small businesses are probably a lot like you.  Yep, Florida's economic lifeblood is its 2.2+/- million small businesses which are nearly 90 percent (worth repeating - nearly 90%) of employers who employ a total workforce of 6.85 million.  The story is repeated in most states which leads to the fact that there are 27+ million small businesses in the US responsible (depending on what source you refer to, and again it really doesn't matter that much) for between 60 to 80% of all new jobs created.  So there you have it.  We make everything happen.  We are the majority.  We are so important.  And we are only going to become more vital in part to the technical and social economic changes that are on the horizon.

What do we need to do? It's really quite simple.  Commit to doing whatever we do better.  Whatever our measuring stick is for success, we just need to do it better.  By doing so we influence others with the "butterfly effect" - where a small change at one place can result in large differences.  The theoretical example given often is of a hurricane's formation being contingent on whether or not a distant butterfly had flapped its wings several weeks before.  

So really, we have the ability to make real stuff happen...there are so many ways to be better. So many software and hardware tools, so many self help business and personal books and articles and blogs.  So much data about how to be the best we can that it's almost a crime not to apply some of it and make this economy rock.  So what do you say?  Are you in?

If you would like to join our blog discussion click here  or I welcome your feedback through email.  

Qdoba Mexican Grill operates at 600 locations nationwide. The chain of Mexican restaurants occupies spaces of 2,200 sq.ft. to 2,400 sq.ft. in freestanding locations, endcaps and inline spaces of shopping centers. Growth opportunities are sought throughout central and northern NJ during the coming 18 months with representation by Pierson Commercial Real Estate, LLC. Preferred demographics include a population of at least 15,000 in the trade area. Preferred traffic counts include 30,000 vehicles per day. The company requires a strong co-tenancy including a large or upscale supermarket and a general merchandiser and multi-plex movie theaters. For more information, contact Jason Pierson, Pierson Commercial Real Estate, LLC, 704 Ginesi Drive, Suite 24, Morganville, NJ 07751

City Gear and Marty's operate 75 locations throughout AL, AR, FL, GA, KY, LA, MO, MS and TN.  City Gear offers young men and women's apparel and prefers to occupy spaces of 3,500 sq.ft. to 4,000 sq.ft. and Marty's offers mens and boys apparel and prefers to occupy spaces of 3,500 sq.ft. to 4,500 sq.ft. in malls.  Plans call for 12 to 15 openings throughout AL, AR, FL, GA, KY, LA, MO, MS, TN and TX for the City Gear concept during the coming 18 months, with representation by Results Realty, LLC.  Typical leases run five years.  The company will also consider locations in power and strip centers.  For more information, contact Ron Devine, Results Realty, LLC, 5803 Lee Highway, Suite 103, Chattanooga, TN 37421