Ethics and Values: December 2005 Archives

I have seen a sharp increase in the percentage of young women entering our entrepreneurship programs. For those young adults between 18-25, family and parenthood are critical elements of how they plan to view their success in life. Many of them believe that they can create a better balance between their family and professional aspirations through entrepreneurship. Many young mothers are looking to home-based businesses to achieve the an ideal balance.

Any home-based business creates challenges in setting up boundaries between work and family. StartupJournal has a feature on a young mother who has found some simple rules to help make this balance work:

- Teaching the kids to respect the office and work time.

I like to call this the "Beaver Cleaver's Dad Rule." On the old Leave it to Beaver TV show Beaver's Dad, Ward Cleaver, had this formal office in their home. The kids knew to only go in their when invited, and if they were invited it was usually because they were in trouble.

- Keeping office stuff in the office.

This rule applies to both the parent and the kids. The stay-at-home-parent needs to have clear boundaries between their "work place" and the rest of the home. The kids need to learn that all of the cool stuff in their parent's office is not for their latest art project.

- Controlling the phone.

One of the cute things most three year olds do is to try to answer the phone. They learn by imitating their parents. When there is also a business phone in the home, this cute trick can lead to embarrassing moments. Using a dedicated cell phone for the business line that only the working parent controls is one way to help get around this issue.

- Maintaining a schedule.

Set clear hours for "going to work," even if it is only in the next room.

- Managing client perceptions.

Eventually the kids will make enough noise to be heard over the phone. Let customers know that "home" is where you work up front.

- Staying motivated.

It is easy to get distracted when working at home. Playing with your spouse and the kids can sound like a lot more fun than the project you are working on. But, remember that your business is important for the family. It helps to pay the bills.

When the Kelo Decision came down from the Supreme Court this past year, the battle front over private property rights shifted to the state and local level.

In a move to shore up private property rights throughout Michigan, voters will have the chance to decide on limitations on the use of eminent domain by state and local governments in that state. From CrainsDetroit.com:

Governments condemning private property would have to demonstrate by "clear and convincing evidence" that the taking is for a public use. That's a higher standard than the "preponderance" of evidence required for a general condemnation of private property.

Similar state-wide initiatives are also moving ahead in other states, including Missouri.

We are also seeing local governments battle over the proper use of eminent domain, such as this example from Rolla, Missouri.

But, even with limitations on the books, we must always remember that we are dealing with politicians with these matters. For example, Florida has limitations on the use of eminent domain already in place. It can only be used if it can be demonstrated that the property is a slum or a blight. However, in battle over water front property at Riviera Beach we can see that one man's blight is another man's home and neighborhood. If politicians and developers want property bad enough, there is always a consultant who can craft a study to meet the state's definition of blight.

The battle over property rights created by the Kelo Decision will not be won simply with legislation, although such actions are important. This is also a moral issue. We have built this country on the fundamental premise that government is in place to serve the people. The Kelo Decision tips the balance on this. Governments can now decide who will serve them best.

Samuel Gregg captures this in his essay found at Acton.org:

St. Thomas Aquinas once wrote that private property was a great bulwark against undue expansion of state authority, precisely because my ownership of a property means that I, rather than government officials, make most of the decisions about how to use it. Kelo's expansion of eminent domain undermines this very basic protection against excessive government power.

We need to fight the battle for property rights at the state a local level, but lawyers and lobbyists can find wiggle room in any laws that are passed. We also need to begin a public dialogue on what kind of country we really want to become. Free enterprise and property rights is the foundation that helped to make this country great. The Kelo decision was a major shift of power from the individual citizen to the state.

I had a conversation last night with one of our student entrepreneurs. She was learning the hard way about the roller coaster ride of entrepreneurship. After experiencing one her best weeks ever last week, she was faced with perhaps her greatest challenge yet this week. I told her that this is what entrepreneurship is like. It is not the straight line of growth we predict in our financial forecasts or the realization of each milestone with the clockwork precision that our business plans envision.

Some describe it as being like a prize fighter. To make money you have to work really hard knowing that every once in a while you will get your brains knocked out. To me it is like my golf game. It is mostly just trying to move ahead by dealing with some good shots and some bad shots, some lucky bounces and some unlucky ones, and trying to do all of this without losing my soul.

Courage is the entrepreneurial virtue that keeps us level-headed during the highs and keeps us moving forward during the lows.

Fortune Small Business offers the inspirational tales demonstrating the courage of four small business owners who are rebuilding their lives and their businesses in the wake of last fall's hurricanes.

Jason Perry, Out of the Box Web Productions, New Orleans, LA

Within days of Katrina, Perry faced a serious cash crunch. All through that giddy August, he had been borrowing heavily to buy the equipment to service his new client. He had purchased a phone system and two servers and had leased new computers from Apple and Dell. For all he knew, Katrina had wiped out all his equipment, and he had no idea how he'd make his lease payments.

Donald Ridings, ABS Computers & Satellites, Gulfport, MS

On the morning Katrina hit, Donald Ridings and his wife, Helen, started driving. They had a plan that was both vague and crystal clear: to get far away from Gulfport. The couple own an old New Jersey Transit bus that they've converted into an RV, complete with a bedroom, a kitchen, and hot and cold running water. They simply got on I-10 and headed east. "We had no clue where we were going," says Ridings.

Austin Tindol, Gulf Coast Glycol, Gulfport, MS

The mood was giddy on Aug. 26 as Austin Tindol held a ribbon-cutting ceremony in Gulfport. It had taken 18 months to launch Gulf Coast Glycol, an outfit that recycles used antifreeze into reusable antifreeze. Tindol raised a glass of champagne, toasting (their)...a new family business....Within hours, an ominous note had crept in. Weather reports indicated that a hurricane was heading toward the Gulf Coast.

George Brumat, Snug Harbor Bar, New Orleans, LA

When Katrina hit, Brumat took cover in his third-story apartment about a block from the club....Soon the couch was rumbling and bouncing, says Brumat, and the walls were swaying in the 150-mph winds. Looking out the window, he witnessed "roofing tiles flying like sparrows and tall magnolias going down."

These are just four examples from the thousands of small business owners in the Gulf region who are not giving up on their visions and their dreams. Although they have all suffered through the ultimate low point as entrepreneurs, they are all rebuilding their businesses.

These are the real entrepreneurial heroes. Keep them in your prayers.