To All My Valued Employees,
There have been some rumblings around the office about
the future of this company, and more specifically, your
job. As you know, the economy has changed for the worse
and presents many challenges. However, the good news is
this: The economy doesn't pose a threat to your job. What
does threaten your job however, is the changing political
landscape in this country. However, let me tell you some
tidbits of fact which might help you decide what is in your
best interests.
First, while it is easy to spew rhetoric that casts
employers against employees, you have to understand that
for every business owner there is a back story. This back
story is often neglected and overshadowed by what you see
and hear today. Sure, you see me park my Mercedes outside.
You've seen my big home at last year's Christmas party.
I'm sure all these flashy icons of luxury conjure up some
idealized thoughts about my life. However, what you don't
see
is the back story.
I started this company 28 years ago. At that time, I
lived in a 300 square foot studio apartment for 3 years. My
entire living apartment was converted into an office so I
could put forth 100% effort into building a company, which
by the way, would eventually employ you.
My diet consisted of Ramen Pride noodles because every
dollar I spent went back into this company. I drove a rusty
Toyota Corolla with a defective transmission. I didn't have
time to date. Often times, I stayed home on weekends, while
my friends went out drinking and partying. In fact, I was
married to my business -- hard work, discipline, and
sacrifice.
Meanwhile, my friends got jobs. They worked 40 hours a
week and made a modest $50K a year and spent every dime
they earned. They drove flashy cars and lived in expensive
homes and wore fancy designer clothes. Instead of hitting
the Nordstrom's for the latest hot fashion item, I was
trolling through the discount store extracting any clothing
item that didn't look like it was birthed in the 70's. My
friends refinanced their mortgages and lived a life of
luxury. I, however, did not. I put my time, my money, and
my life into a business with a
vision that eventually, some day, I too, will be able to
afford these luxuries my friends supposedly had.
So, while you physically arrive at the office at 9am,
mentally check in at about noon, and then leave at 5pm, I
don't. There is no "off" button for me. When you leave the
office, you are done and you have a weekend all to
yourself. I unfortunately do not have that freedom. I eat,
and breathe this company every minute of the day. There is
no rest. There is no weekend. There is no happy hour.
Every day this business is attached to my hip like a 1 year
old special-needs child. You, of course, only see the
fruits of that garden -- the nice house, the Mercedes, the
vacations... you never realize the back story and the
sacrifices I've made.
Now, the economy is falling apart and I, the guy that
made all the right decisions and saved his money, have to
bail-out all the people who didn't. The people that
overspent their paychecks and bought houses they couldn't
afford suddenly feel entitled to the same luxuries that I
earned and sacrificed a decade of my life for.
Yes, business ownership has is benefits, but the price
I've paid is steep, risky and not without wounds.
Unfortunately, the cost of running this business, and
employing you, is starting to eclipse the threshold of
marginal benefit and let me tell you why:
I am being taxed to death and the government thinks I
don't pay enough. I have state taxes. Federal taxes.
Property taxes. Sales and use taxes. Payroll taxes.
Workers compensation taxes. Unemployment taxes. Taxes on
taxes. I have to hire a tax man to manage all these taxes
and then guess what? I have to pay taxes for employing
him. Government mandates and regulations and all the
accounting that goes with it, now occupy most of my time.
On Oct 15th, I wrote a check to the US Treasury for
$288,000 for quarterly taxes. You know what my "stimulus"
check was? Zero. Nada. Zilch.
The question I have is this: Who is stimulating the
economy? Me, the guy who has provided 14 people good paying
jobs and serves over 2,200,000 people per year with a
flourishing business? Or, the single mother sitting at home
pregnant with her fourth child waiting for her next welfare
check? Obviously, government feels the latter is the
economic stimulus of this country.
The fact is, if I deducted (or stole) 50% of your
paycheck you'd quit and you wouldn't work here. I mean,
why should you? That's nuts. Who wants to get rewarded for
only 50% of their hard work? Well, I agree which is why
your job is in jeopardy. Here is what many of you don't
understand - to stimulate the economy you need to stimulate
what runs the economy. Had suddenly government mandated to
me that I didn't need to pay taxes, guess what? Instead of
depositing that $288,000 into the Washington black-hole, I
would have spent it, hired more employees, and generated
substantial economic growth. My employees would have
enjoyed the wealth of that tax cut in the form of
promotions and
better salaries.
When you have a comatose man on the verge of death,
you don't defibrillate and shock his thumb thinking that
will bring him back to life, do you? Or, do you
defibrillate his heart? Business is at the heart of America
and always has been. To restart it, you must stimulate it,
not kill it. Suddenly, the power brokers in Washington
believe the poor of America are the essential drivers of
the American economic engine. Nothing could be further from
the truth and this is the type of change you can keep.
So where am I going with all this? It's quite
simple. If any new taxes
are levied on me, or my company, my reaction will be swift
and simple.
I will fire you. I will fire your co-workers. You can
then plead with the government to pay for your mortgage,
your SUV, and your child's future. Frankly, it isn't my
problem anymore. Then, I will close this company down,
move to another country, and retire. You see, I'm done. I'm
done with a country that penalizes the productive and gives
to the unproductive. My motivation to work and to provide
jobs will be destroyed, and with it, will be my
citizenship.
So, if you lose your job, it won't be at the hands of
the economy; it will be at the hands of a political
hurricane that has swept through this country, steam rolled
the constitution, and will have changed its landscape
forever. If that happens, you can find me sitting on a
beach, retired, and with no employees to worry about.
Signed, Your boss
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