Who is in charge?

This isin response to the people who thik all business people are in charge because we are evil. I was born to very poor parents.. Yes the local town gave us fuel & food, but my dad worked his weekly dead end job(which my mother also worked) plus weekends for the town to repay for there help. I was working a dead end job my self with a family to support when my Grandfather died & left me a sum of money. I used this money to get out of debt& start my own small business with 3 employees& over 15 years I was able to own 3 more stores. I also bought a small lumber yead & employ 21 people there. I gambled that I could make it work. It was all my money no bank would help me at first so I do not need them now. It is not the workers who take the risk, its not the workers who set up all night working on how to pay every thing. All they do is work for the wage I promised them & all I ask is a hard worker for a fair days pay. I also have benifits for all, free to 40 hour workers ..

ok... so the question is?

that great that you invested the money gramps left you, and that you turned out successful... but, it sounds to me like you wouldnt have been able to do that if someone didnt leave you that money. if grampa didnt give that to you when you died, where would you be? you might be sitting up at night worrying about paying the bills. and its awesome that you have benefits for your workers, i commend you on that, but they still might have a hard time making ends meet, and being as you've been there, and you had a family BEFORE you had a good job..... i'd think you can relate to them having negative feelings towards someone who's in charge saying "well, its not like they've got things to worry about". nobody knows anyone else's situation. maybe they make money and have a health plan, but their dad has cancer, or their young daughter is pregnant, or they have a lot of debt to pay off, or their son is involved in drugs..... just because they make good money doesnt mean they have enough to solve all their problems, and hearing/seeing someone talk about my issues as if they dont matter wouldnt make me respect my boss, i can tell you that.

Thank you for taking the time to answer.I did not mean to sound harsh. I know my workers have problems but who does not.All I was trying to get across was not all us small business people have it easy either. Again thank you. Report It

You think your workers don't have to sit up at night wondering how they're going to pay the bills? Funny. Even jobs where I was earning more than 15.00/hr I still had a difficult time with the bills. Electricity and heat more than anything.

Perhaps you shouldn't come off as so "Poor Me" because you have worries too... you're far from the only one.

So... what is your question?

The people came to work for you, whether it was just for the pay or because they believed in your company. For every decision you make as the president of the company you shouldn't have to get everyone together and tell them personally - you have (I assume) appointed people for this. You tell them and they tell the others.

If you feel someone isn't doing their job, you have the right to let them go. This is a clause in most contracts - they can leave whenever they wish and you can let them go whenever you wish.

On the other side of the coin, if they're working to better themselves in your company you have the right to promote them - or at least give them a pay raise.

Your employees are struggling to bring up kids like you were when your parents were doing the same thing....They're your parents!! So, you now want a rose because you worked hard to make a living for yourself? Uh, ok.....

You sound like a weak boss. If yur gramps left you money and the bank wouldn't help you you were obviously un-organized. Yur crew only gives you a little cause you only give them a little. You seem self centered and need to spend more time taking care of your peoples and they will take care of you. Jealousy and competitiveness are natural human instincts. Why should I give my boss more than he gives me?

You have a great story to tell, and you could be inspriring. You need to move past your past and on to a future. To see what is possible. Be a leader for your people. Show them what it takes to make it. Reward them. Share your profits. How about establishing a profit sharing plan for your employees? With this, you could lay out your inspiring vision and encourage them to see what might be possible.

I'm pretty sure I'm in charge. We are all in charge of our own destinies. Some of us know this, and excercise it. Some of us don't understand or don't know how.

Whether you're scratching the bottom of the barrel or you're sitting on top of a goldmine, we are all equal in our own right. We all have the ability to change our circumstances. Good for you, you got yourself out of the slump you were dealt. That is no reason to feel superior. You now have the ability to help other people get out of their own slumps. Share your experience, encourage others that it IS possible. Treat your employees fairly, and remember that they are all equal, and though you may be at the top of the company, you are above no one.

The reason people label corporate folks as the bad guys is due to the all-too-common superiority they seem to feel they have, and the reason we commoners see them this way is often because that is how they present themselves, much like yourself in this very question. I'm in charge. You can ALL say that, if you believe it and excercise it - I'M IN CHARGE. Don't let anyone run your life. Take charge of your own.

Hey there *smile*

It's fine of you to comment on those whom place stereo types on a certain group of people. I'm not at all a business person, but just ran across your comment and wanted to add one of my own. Growing up I've run into all types of people,and no matter where you go or what you do you are always going to have someone talking negative about you. I say screw them, just as long as you know yourself that's all that matters...there is a quote that i just love..and forgive me if i screw it up. "Great minds discuss ideas. Average minds discuss events. Small minds discuss people" I think that quote is by Eleanor Roosevelt I can't remember...but anyway until next time -take care