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Chamber guest says small business can survive economic melt down
  
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By Keith Gebers - Citizen Staff Writer
Surviving the current tough economic times was the thrust of a special Elk Grove Chamber of Commerce breakfast meeting, Oct. 1 at the Holiday Inn Express. Featured speaker was Jim Blasingame, noted small business advocate and national talk show host.
“Small business owners are the ones who will lead us out of the current economic mess,” said Blasingame. “Wall Street will not lead us out of the nation’s economic troubles, but small business will.”
Blasingame is the creator and award-winning host of the Small Business Advocate Show. He is a syndicated columnist and author of the books “Small Business is Like a Bunch of Bananas” and “Three Minutes to Success.” The speaker was The Small Business Association’s Business Journalist of the Year and one of “Talkers Magazine’s Heavy Hundred” that features the most important radio talk shows in the United States.
Blasingame stated that at each New Year he likes to look ahead and visualize what might be ahead in the coming year. He said he always likes to follow the old Chinese Curse, “I hope you live in interesting times.”
The speaker said, “Wall Street and Main Street often work at cross purposes. We have to get the economy on track again.
“And small business owners will lead us out of this mess,” he added. “In small business we believe in ourselves. We deal in service and customers.”
Blasingame said small business comprises 52 percent of the nation’s economy. He used the term “availability cascade” to describe a problem where people hear or see something so much they believe it. He commented that the word “recession” is part of the “availability cascade.”
“This is often a cascade of misinformation,” said Blasingame, “where only bad news makes headlines. Only bad news makes headlines. There is a need to filter the information we receive. We must remove preconceived negatives from reality and don’t get caught up in negative information.”
As part of the remedy to relieve the current economic problems Blasingame said small business owners should spend more time with their customers
“Small business owners will be successful when they focus on what customers want, not what they need,” he said. “When it comes to business seek excellence, not perfection.”
A feature of the morning breakfast meeting was a panel discussion. Panel members Roy Herburger, CEO of the Elk Grove Citizen, Kevin Wong of LPL Financial and Gil Albiani, Cosumnes Community Services District Board member and well-known real estate executive. Blasingame moderated the panel.
Herburger said that during hard times people help out. He cited the success of Laguna West, despite early financial difficulties. Wong said too much national media bad news is causing economic fears and suggested small business owners keep a long-term perspective. He said statistically small business leads the nation out of troubled economic times.
Albiani said there is still money in circulation and now is a good time to make investments as well as an opportune time to purchase stock as well as real estate.
“Small business owners are the ones who will lead us out of the current economic mess,” said Blasingame. “Wall Street will not lead us out of the nation’s economic troubles, but small business will.”
Blasingame is the creator and award-winning host of the Small Business Advocate Show. He is a syndicated columnist and author of the books “Small Business is Like a Bunch of Bananas” and “Three Minutes to Success.” The speaker was The Small Business Association’s Business Journalist of the Year and one of “Talkers Magazine’s Heavy Hundred” that features the most important radio talk shows in the United States.
Blasingame stated that at each New Year he likes to look ahead and visualize what might be ahead in the coming year. He said he always likes to follow the old Chinese Curse, “I hope you live in interesting times.”
The speaker said, “Wall Street and Main Street often work at cross purposes. We have to get the economy on track again.
“And small business owners will lead us out of this mess,” he added. “In small business we believe in ourselves. We deal in service and customers.”
Blasingame said small business comprises 52 percent of the nation’s economy. He used the term “availability cascade” to describe a problem where people hear or see something so much they believe it. He commented that the word “recession” is part of the “availability cascade.”
“This is often a cascade of misinformation,” said Blasingame, “where only bad news makes headlines. Only bad news makes headlines. There is a need to filter the information we receive. We must remove preconceived negatives from reality and don’t get caught up in negative information.”
As part of the remedy to relieve the current economic problems Blasingame said small business owners should spend more time with their customers
“Small business owners will be successful when they focus on what customers want, not what they need,” he said. “When it comes to business seek excellence, not perfection.”
A feature of the morning breakfast meeting was a panel discussion. Panel members Roy Herburger, CEO of the Elk Grove Citizen, Kevin Wong of LPL Financial and Gil Albiani, Cosumnes Community Services District Board member and well-known real estate executive. Blasingame moderated the panel.
Herburger said that during hard times people help out. He cited the success of Laguna West, despite early financial difficulties. Wong said too much national media bad news is causing economic fears and suggested small business owners keep a long-term perspective. He said statistically small business leads the nation out of troubled economic times.
Albiani said there is still money in circulation and now is a good time to make investments as well as an opportune time to purchase stock as well as real estate.
