Right around the world businesses will be struggling. Especially in small businesses staff are often not just workers. They are whanau. It’s impossible to survive when your customers stay away. However, now is the time for us all to support local. Has the mantra of the international economy of scale been blown out of the water? Was buying cheap goods which ended up on the rubbish heap very quickly just a distracting, and environmentally destructive, phase in our society? As that happened local jobs dried up. If I had shares in the Warehouse right now, I’d sell them.
Now our challenge is, whenever we are allowed out, to support local. Every business owner will be wondering what the hell is in front of them right now. It is a dilemma everybody is struggling with. The funds which the Government has announced will assist hugely but we all have to do our bit by spending, maybe more than we have in the past. I thought I would make this debate personal to the businesses which our family operate.
We are proud of our business, which is way more than a bar. Johnny and Anna gave a wonderful talk to the Tuesday Club while we were overseas last year. They talked about our philosophy and the values which drives our business.
Times are really tough at the moment. Everywhere. We have all been an extended whanau for years now. Things are looking so bad. If we move to phase 3 then our bar will have to close. We are starting to talk about how we drag out our bank account so that the family who own the bar, and valuable staff members, can at least pay their rent and meet the minimum payment to the banks to keep roofs over people’s heads.
We aren’t on our own and we aren’t moaning. Nobody has the answers needed. However, this is the time of the collective. This is the time of community solutions. Go out and get those shoes repaired that you have meant to get fixed. The people who run that shop need your custom. Go and buy that coat you need for winter. It’s going to get cold and the business which sells coats needs your custom. Pay especial attention to businesses which sell goods that are made here. Goods produced with local labour. Sold to you by a person who relies on you spending money so that they can employ their staff, pay their bills and feed their family.
Now is the time for local. We welcome ideas from you, the readers of the Tuesday Club notes, on how we support local business. Every business owner will be able to give a talk similar to what Anna and Johnny did in the address above.
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