30.2 Million

Like most of you, I could have 100% taken a hard pass on today’s snowfall. Primarily because you know what doesn’t help sales on a cold and dreary Monday? SNOW. And if you didn’t yet know, I’m fairly intent on our finishing out our year with some very specific, SPECIFICALLY VERY LARGE, sales goals. I’m a specialist in creating completely overwhelming goals for myself and then making myself sick in the relentless pursuit of something only I likely care about.

I was doing some reading earlier today and was astounded to read that there are approximately 30.2 million small businesses in the United States. That’s significantly more than I anticipated. In fact, small businesses comprise of 99.9% of all United States businesses. WAIT. WHAT? These are my people, yet this entire endeavor feels so isolating on so many occasions. Where is the club for the 99.9%? Because I would like to join so that I can phone-a-friend when I am busy questioning all of my life choices. Perhaps I should start a hotline that entrepreneurs could just call into and the recorded message would just say “IT’S FINE. YOU ARE FINE. EVERYTHING IS FINE.” (Preferably in a deep male British accent.)

I also read that of those 30.2 million small businesses, 66.98% are owned by men and 33.02% are female owned. The percentage of female small business owners has increased only by 1.48% since 1996. And actually, that is sort of heartbreaking from the perspective of this female owned company. I have a lot of theories, but here is my spicy take: it is hard to find financing and backing for a business plan without a male partner or spouse to back (and co-sign) the endeavor, even though is almost 2020. I would like a second PJP, sooner rather than later, but that is a bold statement. But if PJP were male owned, I’m certain that would feel like less of a bold statement, and more of a brave and admirable statement.

I’ve been pretty deep in the throes of PJP Nifong, just as I guessed I might be in these busy last few months of 2019. And I’m feeling the pressure - enough that a hotline screaming at me that I’m fine is completely compelling to me. But thinking about the 30,200,000 other businesses in the United States plodding along, I feel oddly comforted. I’ll take my community where i can find it.