A Christmas List For The Small Business Owner In Your Life

By Arlin Sorensen, O and Founder of the Heartland Companies which includes HTG Peer Groups

So what do you get the small business owner who has everything? Or at least thinks he or she does?  That is often the place I find many owners these days. They feel like they are on top of the world, at least in the public eye. 

But behind closed doors they often reveal their loneliness, frustration, fear, and disappointment. Running a company just isn’t as simple as they thought, and the longer they do it, the more disenfranchised they become. It just wasn’t supposed to be this hard.

Sound familiar? I hear the story over and over as we serve people in our peer groups or through coaching and consulting interactions. They got that entrepreneurial seizure (as Michael Gerber calls it) and now they are the boss running their own company. But it isn’t Santa’s business, and there are no magical reindeer to help make sure they get everything done the way they promised. How do you buy for a person like that? Here are a few thoughts on what small business entrepreneurs and owners might like this Christmas:

1. A Thank You. Take a few minutes to jot a card or type out an email to the owner of a small business that serves you and your family. Let them know you are grateful for what their company has done for you. As an employee, a thank you is very satisfying as well. Small business owners and entrepreneurs create the jobs that make the world go round. They don’t get a lot of kudos for taking the risk and putting in the never ending hours, so there’s no better time than Christmas to thank them. If you’re an employee at a small business, say thank you for your job and the means to care for your family.

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