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Thursday, October 1, 2009

One Entrepreneur's Take on Unemployment

One Entrepreneur's Take on Unemployment

I've been feeling a little guilty lately.

No, it's not because I read the entire issue of People's Hottest Bachelors last week in the dentist's office. Or that I found it interesting that Chace Crawford has never, ever plucked his eyebrows. It's not because I feel kind of sorry that Colonel Gaddafi wasn't allowed to sleep in his tent in New Jersey. And it's not because I took my 14-year-old son to see Inglorious Basterds either. Sure, it was a completely inappropriate movie for a kid that age. But we loved that scene where all the Nazis got blown up inside the movie theatre.

Even so, these aren't why I'm feeling guilty. The real reason is because, as a small business owner, I've been benefiting from the country's high unemployment. Is this a bad thing?

I think we can all agree that unemployment is a bad thing. Involuntarily losing a job is terrible. Not having any tangible work to do can kill a person's self-esteem. It makes one seem irrelevant and meaningless. Just ask Kanye West. Yes, being unemployed is bad.

But…there's a bigger and better supply of talent available, right? And this was made possible by the lousy economy. There are unemployed certified engineers. Trained sales people. Experienced administrators. Skilled managers. For God's sake, Jenna Bush just took a job with the Today Show. Talk about a lousy job market.

Fear is Probably Good

Larry Ellison's $84,598,699 pay cut

Gene Marks, CPA, is the owner of the Marks Group, which sells customer relationship, service, and financial management tools to small and midsize businesses. Marks is the author of four best-selling small business books and writes the popular "Penny Pincher's Almanac" syndicated column. He frequently speaks to business groups on penny-pinching topics. More penny-pinching advice from Marks can be found at www.quickerbetterwiser.com.


source: businessweek

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