All About Fifth , the Fifth Avenue BID blog, has an interview with Stone Park Cafe chef and co-owner Josh Grinker about seasonal cuisines, challenging wines and more. Interviewer Rebeccah Welch asked Grinker: What are the greatest challenges and rewards of being a small business owner?
Grinker:
I will give you a short answer to what I see as a very complicated
problem. The system is not set up to support small businesses, despite
what the politicians say to the media. The tax system is screwy,
insurance is a nightmare and there is a maze of local agencies that
make doing business very difficult. Both locally and on a Federal level
there are inherent policies that if properly enforced would drive
virtually all small business owners in this city out of business. This
is a problem, because it means as a business owner you live with
constant insecurity. Who knows when a Department of Labor officer will
show up at your door and start harassing your employees or a Department
of Sanitation officer will cite you for having some windswept papers at
your doorstep. Immigration is another huge hurdle. I was a student of
labor history in my younger years and owning a small business and
employing and being basically responsible for the livelihoods of twenty
five people has totally changed my perspective on the issues of
advocacy. Advocates and bureaucrats have no idea what they are doing or
how their actions impact the economy and ultimately people’s lives.
I will give you a short answer to what I see as a very complicated
problem. The system is not set up to support small businesses, despite
what the politicians say to the media. The tax system is screwy,
insurance is a nightmare and there is a maze of local agencies that
make doing business very difficult. Both locally and on a Federal level
there are inherent policies that if properly enforced would drive
virtually all small business owners in this city out of business. This
is a problem, because it means as a business owner you live with
constant insecurity. Who knows when a Department of Labor officer will
show up at your door and start harassing your employees or a Department
of Sanitation officer will cite you for having some windswept papers at
your doorstep. Immigration is another huge hurdle. I was a student of
labor history in my younger years and owning a small business and
employing and being basically responsible for the livelihoods of twenty
five people has totally changed my perspective on the issues of
advocacy. Advocates and bureaucrats have no idea what they are doing or
how their actions impact the economy and ultimately people’s lives.
It’s the same all over, Big Corporate uses its clout to get made legislation that only works in favour of the Big Bads. They might use Health and Safety as their excuse, demanding standards that are wholly unnecessary but more to the point are logistically impossible for a startup or small business rival to implement. This is just the have-moneys maintaining the status quo over the have-nots. That it’s unfair is not the issue, it stops fresh companies and ideas from ever developing. It’s bad for the community, it produces law that itself is anti-social and can only lead towards a socially and morally justifiable breakdown of law and order.
BB