Editorials

Tony Bass

Are hardscapers special?

By Tony Bass

I was a 25-year old business owner with almost no money. I was seated in my ridiculously small office, a 10’ x 12’ portable building in Dad’s backyard. I was talking to a recent college graduate about coming to work in my little landscaping company. I had a nervous feeling in my stomach as we talked about the company, the job and money. I did pretty good that day, because I convinced the young landscape architect that joining my company was a great decision. He accepted my job offer of low pay and incredible future potential.

The decision to hire the landscape architect was a turning point in my entrepreneurial journey. Even though my company was small, our office had no restroom, I provided zero employee benefits and I did not offer any special training or signing bonus or company perks, I hired that man. I had no idea what the future might bring, but I hired the landscape architect anyway. He was employee number 9.

I didn’t know just how special it was to create a job for another human being. I have since learned that people who create jobs and hire employees are a rare breed. Let me explain.

According to the US Census Bureau, there are 324 million people in the USA. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), 157 million people are employed. This means 48.5% of our population is our current workforce.

Small Business Administration (SBA) data shows that the USA has 28 million businesses. Just 28 million businesses provide all of our jobs. If 1 business equals 1 business owner, simple math reveals that if you own 1 of the 28 million businesses from a population of 324 million you are in a pretty elite group. Just 8.6% of the population owns a business! Are you feeling special just yet?

Think of it like this. When you made a decision to start a business, you joined an elite fraternity of 8.6% of the population who are often recognized as self-reliant dreamers and risk takers. We’re proud. We’re independent. We are courageous. And…we take care of our families while we scratch and claw our way toward financial independence.

But, within this special group of 28 million business owners, there’s another category of extraordinary business owners who become leaders. We join this more exclusive fraternity when we make the decision to hire employees.

When you dive into the SBA data, you’ll discover less than 6 million business owners have employees. Just 6 million businesses across the entire country provide 100% of the jobs in the good ol’ USA. 6 million business owners divided by 324 million total population equals 1.9%. Only 1.9% of the USA population are business owners who hire employees. Are you feeling special now? You should feel very special!

It’s my opinion that employers are the single greatest asset on the balance sheet of America. We create 100% of the jobs. We create opportunities for economic gain for our employees. We contribute huge amounts of tax revenue for our government. We collect taxes from employees we hire and pass those on to federal, state and local governments.

So the next time you consider hiring someone or creating a new job in your company and you get that sort of nervous feeling in your stomach, think of that feeling as personal pride that you are an asset on the balance sheet of America. You’re special. You’re in the 1.9% club. You’re an employer. You’re a rare breed of humanity that must be willing to learn and do things that 98.1% of the population will never do.

And I want you to know…that even if you never hear it from an employee or the government agency you support via your tax dollars…I’ll say it right now. I’ll say it from the heart. Thanks for what you do! God bless you and God bless the USA.

Tony Bass is the author of 7 books including 50 Ways To Find, Recruit, Hire and Retain Super Star Employees. He provides consulting and business coaching services to owners of landscape companies. To learn more, visit SuperLawnToolKit.com or email Tony@TonyBassConsulting.com.