Aired on April 22, 2020 on Mornings with Carmen, Bill English and Carmen LeBerge discuss how small businesses are doing. We talk about how COVID19 is taking away the dreams of small business owners, which is what drives an entrepreneuer.
We then discuss large businesses returning PPP (Payroll Protection Program) monies which they received legally, but were forced to pay back because they are being shamed by our culture for following the law which Congress recently passed.
Here are the show notes:
Core talking points:
- Hold your business with an open hand
- Find your identity and significance in who you are in Christ, not in what you do
- Your identity is not tied to your business
- You need support!
- Start talking with other business owners – join us on May 16 at Bible and Business via Zoom
- If you think you’re headed into bankruptcy, start getting help now from a reputable turnaround firm
The talking points are below for the big companies giving back the $10M in loans.
I’ve been there. It’s not easy. I’ll provide some talking points. Business owners are getting killed right now through no fault of their own.
The story of Hannah comes to mind….praying…pouring out her heart to God….she had to see the death of her dream before she could see her way to follow God, no matter the cost. https://www.bibleandbusiness.com/2011/08/06/death-of-a-dream/
What drives business owners are their dreams. When their dream is taking from them, they experience loss of hope, dignity, purpose and so forth. It’s a very, very difficult place to be. How does one hold onto a dream when it is shattering before one’s eyes? At the core, one must always hold their business with an open hand both in terms of what the business does as well as what the business will be.
Letting go of your dream also means separating your self-identity from your business.
What they need is support too. Yet over 80% of Christian Business Owners don’t belong to a group. They need to be “in community” with others. Community will provide a safe place to talk, let one’s exterior down (Reference: https://www.bibleandbusiness.com/2016/12/20/the-emotional-price-owners-pay-when-their-business-is-failing/?highlight=emotional%20price).
On a different topic:
The big companies giving back the PPP loan money…..My take:
- If you qualify for it, then keep it – if you want to give it back – then that’s fine too – but don’t be “shamed” into giving the money back
- It’s not a zero-sum game – the Feds have made it abundantly clear that they have an infinite amount of money to pump into this economy
- We should treat all small businesses equally – all jobs are important – all workers are important
- Businesses who get the PPP are not enriching themselves – they are keeping employees employed
- This is the program Congress thought was best to implement – don’t apologize for following the law or the intent of Congress