Skip to main content

Do-it-yourself economic recovery

Lead Summary
By
-

By Jim Thompson
HCP columnist

Many months ago, I suggested that if you could not experience an economic recovery where you live, you should consider moving. I was pelted with letters from readers thinking such an idea preposterous.

Yet, this has often been the path of choice for residents of the U.S. (and our southern friends) in times past. We would not have the Latino immigration issues if south of the border there were good economic conditions. Moving companies will tell you, long term, their business model depends on 20% of the U.S. population moving each year.

The most extreme case I have known in my career of being where the jobs are was the case of a Filipino family, naturalized U.S. citizens. The father had a job in central Iowa, the mother had one in Cleveland. They had five or six kids. The kids swapped back and forth and would spend one year in schools in Cleveland, the other in Iowa. Every other weekend the whole family went to one end of the commute or the other. This went on for years and all the kids eventually graduated from college. I wouldn’t recommend this lifestyle.

However, I would be surprised if you could come up with a more severe set of circumstances than these.

Let’s go in another direction, while still following the premise that you are going to have to generate your own recovery. For after four years, it is fairly obvious the government is incapable of generating one for you, at least as presently configured.

If you have a job, and I don’t care what kind of a job it is, make yourself aware of a couple of realities. One is this: Your fellow workers are your competitors.

Take a defensive stance about your job. Plan as if a layoff is coming, because the prudent employee is always prepared for a layoff. If one occurs, you must win in the bosses’ decision-making process to keep you over your fellow employees.

Who will they keep? The person who shows up on time every day and cheerfully does their assigned tasks, and, additionally, thinks of ways to improve the business.

I don’t care if you are a clerk in a convenience store, you can make the business neater, friendlier and stand out compared to the competition. Apply yourself.

And speaking of convenience stores, keep the bathrooms spotless and you’ll have the top grossing convenience store within 20 miles — the one that won’t have layoffs or be in danger of closing.

However, the absolutely most important issue to understand is why any business exists and your role in this endeavor. I go into businesses all the time and tell them, no matter their business, I know the most important machine they have.

Of course, they look at me as if I were the most arrogant, silly person on the planet. Yet, is extremely simple: The most important machine in any business is the invoice printer (I am speaking figuratively here).

For without an invoice, there is no way to legally collect money. In a restaurant or grocery store, the “invoice printer” is the cash register. At church, it is the collection plate. In large businesses, it is the computer that sends bills to the customers.

When I explain this to others as I will for you, the suggestion of arrogance disappears — it is so simple and so true.

Here is the stark truth: If a business could do nothing but produce legally binding invoices, that is all it would do. Unfortunately, most buyers take a dim view of paying an invoice that does not represent the receipt of goods or services. Hence, the business has to create something others want.

However, the business should do no more than what is minimally required (not shoddy, just quality slightly above the competition) to produce an invoice. Doing more than this is a waste. Knowing this, astute employees will find a way to attach themselves to the invoice printer. It is the only way to survive in the long term.

For, if there is not a clear path from you to the invoice printer, that is, you are not vigorously helping to spin the invoice printer, the business simply has no reason to keep you.

All the mug shots you see in your local paper of people arrested for operating meth labs indicate these people understand the invoice printer. They are making drugs for their own use and to sell. They understand the invoice printer very well, they just fail to engage in a legal activity.

It may be scary, but you are on your own: Make your own recovery. There is only one thing lacking — your willingness to get up off your backside and spin your personal invoice printer. Tough? Yes. Impossible? No. Start today.

Jim Thompson, formerly of Marshall, is a graduate of Hillsboro High School and the University of Cincinnati. He resides in Duluth, Ga., following decades of wandering the world, and is a columnist for The Highland County Press.

[[In-content Ad]]

Add new comment

This is not for publication.
This is not for publication.

Plain text

  • No HTML tags allowed.
  • Lines and paragraphs break automatically.
  • Web page addresses and email addresses turn into links automatically.
Article comments are not posted immediately to the Web site. Each submission must be approved by the Web site editor, who may edit content for appropriateness. There may be a delay of 24-48 hours for any submission while the web site editor reviews and approves it. Note: All information on this form is required. Your telephone number and email address is for our use only, and will not be attached to your comment.