Most people I talk to are simply overwhelmed with all that has taken place the past 4 months. When I think of all that faces our new President, I can't help but feel sorry for him. Fortunately, he seems to have the right outlook for the job and, hopefully, the patience and leadership needed to guide us through the next four years. Yes, it will not be easy, the solutions will not come overnight, the road will be long, it will get worse before it gets better... I can think of a number of wise old sayings my Mother use to tell me. I am sure you have heard them all as well. But in spite of all this turmoil, I can't help but feel that we have past by the worst part of the storm. Yes, some of the consequences of what has happened have not been fully felt or dealt with, but I truly believe we are on the way out of the turmoil that has been building for years. I believe the US Auto Industry in cooperation with the UAW will evolve and we will maintain a strong presence in the automotive market. The number of good paying jobs will increase. The US will again value the middle class and the hard work of those manufacturing products that we use every day. There will be fewer banks, bankers, loan officers, real estate agents and stockbrokers. The stock market will steadily improve and, with luck, we will again be able to build our retirement IRAs and 401Ks. Their will be more oversight of the lending institutions and Wall Street. Overall, we will be better for having gone through this past year and, as Americans, we will build on a firmer foundation. It will be the ingenuity and hard work of individuals that will make the difference. The government can create the climate for growth, but it will be up to each one of us to build our futures on top of this foundation. Small employers and franchisees will be a big part of the new economy and will be the most likely employers as the economy expands. Large companies will no longer be the most likely creator of new jobs. I have noticed in the past few years a great deal of age discrimination here in Silicon Valley. With an aging workforce and the loss of retirement funds that would provide for early retirements, companies will have to find new ways of better balancing their work force. A restructuring of health care, especially for retirees and for those over 50 will be needed. Balanced retirement programs separate from employer control will be needed to remove the current advantage employers feel they have in keeping the tenure of their employees short thus avoiding the cost of the current retirement model that creates a long term liability. . As this will take time, many of us over 50 will find that they best option available to us will be to go into business for ourselves. I firmly believe that for those who do not have a solid marketable business idea, franchising will offer the most attractive means of starting a business. Even in this economy, there are franchises that are growing and doing far better than our larger corporations. On the bright side, franchisees that are looking to hire employees are having a better time attracting high quality applicants. Every challenge has its advantages. |
Fabrion Professional Repair Systems is a unique, self-contained mobile business of repairing, re-coloring and cleaning leather, vinyl, velour, cloth, carpeting and plastic covered surfaces. Focused on the $11 billion dollar Auto Interior Repair industry, our franchisees also repair surfaces in RV’s, boats and aircraft as well furniture in hotels, restaurants and homes. This low overhead, extremely high profit margin business offers the opportunity for extraordinary income |  |
