Small business owners and managers face a lot of challenges — nearly as many, probably, as there are operations. But some challenges are more prevalent than others and some downright ubiquitous. Every four years, the National Federation of Independent Business compiles a report on what are deemed the most pressing challenges of all. The small […]
You mean you haven’t heard about the Variance Protection Program (VPP)? Neither had I until the last edition of the Business Times. According to an advertising campaign, the collaborators of the program — Mesa County Public Health (MCPH), the Grand Junction Area Chamber of Commerce and the local, five-day-a-week daily newspaper — say it’s designed […]
Even as Americans recently celebrated their declaration of independence and the war that freed them from the tyrannical rule of England, another war rages on in the United States. The war on small businesses hasn’t been officially declared, but the evidence of aggression is on full display. After an amazing economic comeback over the last […]
Call me a collector. Not of priceless artwork, tragically. Or even, for that matter, of baseball cards or beer cans. Rather, I collect facts. Some of them useful. Some not. And some so arcane few others appreciate their value. It’s an occupational hazard, I suspect. A byproduct of working in print journalism for more than […]
No, not like the ones you see in Portland, Seattle, Minneapolis and other major United States cities. Besides, those revolutions aren’t really open, they’re becoming more and more closed by the day. What else would you call orders for police to stand down, instructions for citizens to just give the violent rioters what they want […]
T-shirts, bumper stickers and books pose the question: Did you eat today? For most people, thankfully, the query is rhetorical. The point is the suggestion that follows: Hug a farmer. These days, I suppose the more appropriate gesture would be to exchange air high fives. Moreover, I’d broaden the suggestion to all agricultural producers, including […]
It’s funny and sad. Because if you asked most people how they’d feel about one person having total control over their lives, they’d be against it. Yet, here we are in Colorado choosing sides because of one man. Although we’re told Gov. Jared Polis is doing the best he can in a difficult situation and […]
Adam Smith identified and named the concept of the invisible hand in his book “The Wealth of Nations.” The invisible hand that’s the driving force in a market economy is each individual promoting his or her self-interest. Consumers aim to achieve the greatest satisfaction from their spending. Entrepreneurs try to earn the highest profits for […]
A proverb has been stuck in my brain for months now and festered there like a splinter. When life gives you lemons, the well-worn saying goes, make lemonade. Is that too much Pollyanna can-doism in the face of a pandemic that’s brought tragedy to so many lives? Or is it the only way forward given […]
I’m writing this column now because by the time the next issue comes out, this will all be hitting too close to home. By July 22, I’ll be spending every second after that delivery packing up and readying my oldest daughter for her move to Denver for college. With the coronavirus pandemic messing up her […]