6 Tips to Save Time and Money by Hiring the Right Tech Consultant

 

If you need to hire an information technology consultant, it can be costly in time and money, if you choose the wrong person. Use due diligence. Sophisticated tech vendors and consultants of all sizes have been known for cost over-runs.

Again, certain precautions are needed. Your technology dilemmas can worsen with the wrong choice – whether the person isn’t up-to-speed or simply isn’t the right fit for your organization. Either can cost you time and money unnecessarily.

In hiring a tech consultant look for five values: Efficiency, information, innovation, objectivity, and productivity.

To help you make the right decision, here’s a checklist:

Make certain the person is competent in security issues. Cybercrime is here to stay. You need to protect your business in two ways: 1. Keep your customers’ records safe. 2. Protect your business by making preparations with precautions and response philosophy.

See to it that the person understands your company requirements. Ask the person the right questions about understanding your industry and your specific project needs. A Web site developer is not an expert in accounting systems. Check references.

Don’t pinch pennies to your detriment. It’s important to hire a pro. In that way, you’ll get an agreement in writing about the services you’ll receive. Make sure your employees will understand how to operate your new technology before the job is done.

On the other hand, be as economical as possible. Discuss the budget and the proposed plan for new technology. If you have to take baby steps and make additions when you can afford them, make certain the old technology isn’t adversely affected.

Insure that communication is adequate. You need a person who can provide a written action plan, and can fully explain the necessity of any recommendations. Don’t allow mission creep and monitor the situation on a regular basis. Some vendors want to own the intellectual property rights for custom work – don’t allow it – and see to it that it’s part of your contractual agreement.

Make sure you’re getting objectivity – not a biased sales rep. Clarify you’re not hiring a biased vendor.

From the Coach’s Corner, here are a few tech resources:

• Risk Management – Picking the Best Cloud Storage Provider
• How Small Businesses Can Capitalize on Cyber Strategies for Profit

Some consultants are like the bottom half of a double boiler: They get all heated up but don’t know what’s cooking.

 

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Author Terry Corbell has written innumerable online business-enhancement articles, and is a business-performance consultant and profit professional. Click here to see his management services. For a complimentary chat about your business situation or to schedule him as a speaker, consultant or author, please contact Terry.

 

Parents: 6 Tips to Help Your Teen to Get a Summer Job, Beat Boredom

 

A major concern of many parents in the summertime is their children – how to get a job, avoid boredom or to stay out of trouble.

That was a concern of my mom when growing up in Palm Springs, which largely became a ghost town in the summer. She wanted me to be productive and didn’t want me loafing around the house. She insisted I get a job. If there were no jobs, I was encouraged to take summer classes. Most often, I got a job busing tables at exclusive restaurants, where I also enjoyed serving customers like J.C. Penney, Doris Day and Paul Harvey.

Later, as a college journalism student, one summer there were no jobs and my morale suffered. So I contacted some former high school teachers for advice. Some were teaching summer school classes, so they were accessible.

One of them asked about my career aspirations, and suggested I go to broadcasting school to get a first-class Federal Communications Commission license. At that time, it was great way for entry into radio (they’re no longer a non-engineer requirement for radio stations). I toured all the southern California broadcasting schools, and selected my best option.

During a six week course, I stayed at the legendary Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood (the school and hotel had an affordable deal for students) and got my license thanks to an electronic theory class at the nearby Don Martin School of Broadcasting. I was immediately in demand at radio stations in small to medium markets as I finished my undergraduate studies.

Candidly, my employment in college taught me as much as my academic studies. Plus, the work experience gave me an advantage over competitors later after I graduated.

But summer jobs in this day and age are hard for kids to find. They face high unemployment rates. Creativity is the ticket to success.

My sense is that it’s vital for a teen’s self esteem to get advice but conduct a job search without parental help. Long-term for your teen’s self confidence, I don’t advise parents to do the actual footwork.

Some ideas are obvious, but here are some reminders that worked for me, including:

• Suggest your teen check around to create a job. Canvass the neighborhood for odd jobs. Can lawns be mowed? Does an elderly neighbor need help?
• Suggest considering volunteer work. It will enhance your child’s self esteem, and will provide valuable experience.
• Teens can contact local businesses and nonprofits, and inquire about being an unpaid intern or volunteer. Whether it’s a nursery, TV station or homeless shelter, some lead to paying positions.
• Students can contact successful businesspeople in their majors asking for a meeting to get advice on their studies or career. (As a junior, a TV station executive invited me to the station that same day for a job interview.)
• Whenever possible, make the inquiry in person. Your child will stand out in the crowd.
• In the event an inquiry doesn’t lead to a job or internship, ask for two referrals. (“What are the names of two people, who might be able to use me?”)

You can’t solve the economy and there aren’t any easy solutions. But with a little creativity, your child can stay busy, earn some money, learn a work ethic and possibly lay the ground work for a career.

From the Coach’s Corner, here are related resources: 

Study: 10 Best Career Options for College Grads

Sales, Networking Strategies to Build Strong Relationships

Why Accounting, Finance Can be Ideal Careers for Women

Is Higher Education Doing the Job to Prepare Grads for the Workforce?

At Long Last, More Focus on Critical Thinking in Business Schools

“Information’s pretty thin stuff unless mixed with experience.”

-Clarence Day

 

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Columnist Terry Corbell is also a business-performance consultant and profit professional. Click here to see his management services (many are available online). For a complimentary chat about your business situation or to schedule Terry Corbell as a speaker, why don’t you contact him today?

 

Is Your Workers’ Comp Insurance Affordable? See these 5 Worker Safety Tips

 

Nearly 4 million U.S. workers are hurt annually on the job at a cost to companies in excess of $179 billion. To promote safer workplaces by reducing injuries – resulting in higher productivity – Cintas Corporation has issued five safety tips.

“Workplace injuries can occur to any employee regardless of experience, so it’s beneficial to continually review best practices to keep safety top of mind,” says Rick Gerlach, Cintas’ senior director of safety and health.

“From slips and falls to cuts or burns, there are many potential injuries that can impact cleaning staff and building occupants, so facility managers should take the proper steps to prepare and prevent these types of incidents,” he adds.

The Cintas recommendations:

Limit employee exposure to chemical concentrates –By implementing a comprehensive chemical dispensing system, facility managers can safeguard against the painful burns and eye injuries associated with cleaning solution accidents. Frequently, the manual dilution of chemicals will cause hazardous liquids to splash into eyes or onto skin, causing painful burns.

Or worse, the accidental mixing of chemicals can lead to dangerous fumes and even death. By limiting employee exposure to irritants, chemical dispensing systems provide a complete solution to preventing a common workplace accident.

Prepare for Sudden Cardiac Arrest –According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, sudden cardiac arrest claims more than 250,000 lives each year. The consequences of this potentially devastating event can be largely offset by ensuring that facilities are equipped with Automatic External Defibrillators (AEDs) and employees are properly trained in their use.

Along with purchasing an AED, the facility must also establish a service maintenance program to ensure the unit is always up-to-date and functioning properly. The correct implementation of an AED program can be life-saving and prevent the numerous liabilities associated with sudden cardiac arrest.

Implement a comprehensive matting system – According to the National Floor Safety Institute, a slip and fall accident occurs every eight seconds, making it a key focus during National Safety Month. To help protect against slips and falls, strategically place matting around entryways to prevent water and debris from entering the building.

Additionally, safety matting provides increased traction in high traffic areas of a facility where slip and fall accidents frequently occur. While proper placement of matting is key, facility managers should also ensure that matting is regularly laundered to properly capture and remove contaminants.

Stock appropriate first aid and medical supplies –While not all workplace accidents are completely preventable, many can be effectively treated with the contents of a customized first aid cabinet. A well-stocked cabinet should contain products to treat lacerations, soothe burns and ease pain. Contents can also vary depending on the type of facility; for example, a foodservice operation would be likely to keep more burn supplies available.

Additionally, certain contents of the first aid cabinet should be supplied on a rotating basis to treat seasonal ailments such as allergies or the common cold. By ensuring that the first aid cabinet is up-to-date, businesses can provide immediate treatment of injuries, keep workers productive and efficient and reduce overall business costs.

Create a culture of safety –The importance of workplace safety needs to be effectively communicated throughout the organization. Facility managers should regularly conduct training sessions to ensure that all employees are educated on best practices. Training sessions can be done in-house, via an online platform or by bringing in a certified instructor – whatever meets a facility’s schedule and budget.

Regardless of how employees are trained, managers must understand that safety initiatives are not a one-time event, but rather an ongoing commitment. By creating a culture of safety, facility managers can keep their employees and organizations safe and productive throughout the year.

Cintas Corporation, www.cintas.com, is a publicly held supplier of uniforms, first aid, fire protection and other products. Based in Cincinnati, the company serves 900,000 businesses.

Safety is a cheap and effective workers’ comp insurance policy. Besides, safety is the right thing to practice.

From the Coach’s Corner, see this HR study that reveals challenges for management in teamwork, culture and diversity.

Safety glasses: All in favor say “Eye!”

 

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Author Terry Corbell has written innumerable online business-enhancement articles, and is a business-performance consultant and profit professional. Click here to see his management services. For a complimentary chat about your business situation or to schedule him as a speaker, consultant or author, please contact Terry.

 

HR Study Reveals Challenges for Management in Teamwork, Culture and Diversity

 

Isues have come to light for managers who want profits by achieving maximum teamwork and workplace cultures. A human resources study shows 40 percent of men and women don’t want to work on projects with the opposite gender.

A three-year global study of 60 big companies by Innovisor, a Copenhagen firm, published its data in 2012 involving 5,000 workers in collaboration and influence.

People tend to collaborate with people they have a sense of similarity with,” says Jeppe Hansgaard,  the managing partner at Innovisor. “It’s human nature.”

Immediate supervisors weren’t included the study because they are most often men, and the majority of employees prefer not to work with their bosses.

The 60 companies were in 29 nations, which included the U.S., Australia, Brazil, China, India, and the U.K.

Mr. Hansgaard makes an obvious point for managers. He says they “need to be aware of the barriers that exist within their own organizations.”

“We prefer to collaborate with people who look just like us,” he adds. “That’s a management issue, because you want your employees to collaborate with the right people, not just people who look like them.”

He believes such employee biases aren’t obvious – they’re not observed by managers. Bosses often don’t assign teams. The collaboration is decided by employee biases. It shows a lack of employee self-esteem and leadership strategies and employee respect.

That hurts business performance.

My sense is the study’s results indicate the need for employee-teamwork training managers to upgrade their skills and to implement a cultural change for profits. Such companies should better manage collaboration and encourage more inclusionary diversity. As a result, employee confidence will increase for the enhancement of teamwork and overall business performance.

From the Coach’s Corner, here are more management tips:

• 20 Tell-Tale Signs – If You’re Under-Performing as a Manager
• Human Resources – Power Your Brand with Employee Empowerment
• Human Resources: 4 Reasons Why New Managers Fail
• Strategies to Succeed as a New Manager – a Checklist 

 “Skill and confidence are an unconquered army.”

-George Herbert

 

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Author Terry Corbell has written innumerable online business-enhancement articles, and is a business-performance consultant and profit professional. Click here to see his management services. For a complimentary chat about your business situation or to schedule him as a speaker, consultant or author, please contact Terry.

 

Nonpartisan Study: Obama’s Tax Plan Hits 53% of Business Earnings

 

Fifty-three percent of Americans with business income would be taxed at higher rates in President Barack Obama’s plan to hike taxes on the top 2 percent of households. That’s according to an analysis by the nonpartisan Joint Committee on Taxation.

The analysis was prepared at the behest of the Senate Finance Committee in 2012.

“With our economy as weak as it is, it makes absolutely no sense to hit more and more small businesses with a tax hike,” said Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) in a statement.  He called it “irrefutable proof” that such an increase would be destructive.

Tax rates are slated to increase for capital gains, dividends, estates and income in 2013. The president wants the Bush tax cuts to expire this year, and increase taxes on couples earning $250,000 annually as well as on individuals making $200,000 or more.

Mr. Obama’s plan wants nearly one million households in the top 2 percent to pay tax rates of 39.6 percent. The study indicates it includes 3.5 percent of taxpayers with business income, 53 percent of those with net business income.

Hurts small business owners

Business owners would pay such taxes even if they have a closely held corporation, partnership, or sole proprietorship.

Proponents of the tax increases claim most aren’t small business owners. As business-performance consultant I disagree.

My sense is that spending must be curtailed to balance the budget. The U.S. doesn’t have a revenue problem – it’s a spending problem, which is hurting economic development and job creation.

Certainly, education can help a person get a job. But we’re not doing a good job of managing education in this country.

Another example: The Pell Grant Program spent $36.9 billion in 2009-2010 on students – many of whom aren’t even low-income and fail to graduate from college – according a 2012 study by the Pope Center for Higher Education.

Further, that’s 50 percent of the Department of Education’s budget. And yes, it’s the largest higher education expense of the U.S. government.

Sixty percent – 9.6 million college students –received Pell grants, but the rate of graduating students was lower than forecast.

The Senate is considering an increase for individual Pell grants – to $5,635 per year.

A 2011 study by the National Center for Education Statistics shows an alarming statistic: Pell Grant recipients graduate at much lower rate than other students.

Pell Grant solutions

The study suggests:

1. Only “very low-income” students receive the entitlement
2. Such students be required to earn a minimum SAT score
3. They must qualify a good grade-point average
4. The grants have a four-year time limit
5. Publicizing the progress of Pell-grant student recipients

Amen. We need to get a much better ROI on education spending. A helping hand is one thing, but a handout is another.

In reality, without the five requirements, many students are welfare recipients at the expense of job-creators. Congress needs to act responsibly to protect our economic and political liberties.

From the Coach’s Corner, suggested reading:

Is Higher Education Doing the Job to Prepare Grads for the Workforce?

Study: Unemployment Stems Partly from Deficient Worker Skills, Education

“If we can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people, under the pretense of taking care of them, they must become happy.”

-Thomas Jefferson

 

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Author Terry Corbell has written innumerable online business-enhancement articles, and is a business-performance consultant and profit professional. Click here to see his management services. For a complimentary chat about your business situation or to schedule him as a speaker, consultant or author, please contact Terry.

 

Research – Are You Making the Same Mistake as Big Box Retailers?

 

A high percentage of customer engagement is a valuable objective, and should be the goal of every manager and employees who deal with customers. But how many times has a retail employee asked you: “Did you find everything OK?”

Your answer: “No.”

Then promptly, the employee fails to do something about it.

Well, it’s happened to me countless times at chain stores. Not only in-person feedback, but in responding to online surveys, too.

By failing to manage the dialogue, such companies run bigger risk of seeing complaints on Twitter, Facebook and in online reviews.

It turns out that a study shows 85 percent of shoppers at big-box retail stores give the requested consumer information. But only 46 percent of surveyed consumers believe the information will be used to improve customer service.

That’s the word from Empathica, Inc. The company surveyed 6,500 U.S. consumers in 2012. Shoppers indicated they wanted to answer the retailers’ questions, but they’ve become dissatisfied with the lack of responsiveness.

Some 81 percent of respondents believe their feedback should be shared with all store locations. But just 52 percent think the stores, managers and employees get the information.

The irony? Four out of five respondents “agree or strongly agree” they would be loyal to such companies, if they followed up on the feedback.

Why customers leave

Indeed, my research shows customers change brands 70 percent of the time because they feel ignored.

 “Our research proves that consumers really do want to provide feedback and engage in conversations with brands,” said Dr. Gary Edwards, Empathica’s chief customer officer.

“But at the same time, they are clearly disappointed by not having any visibility into what happens afterwards,” he said. “Feedback remains a one-way street and what consumers are yearning for is two-way dialogue. They want to know that their feedback is being acted upon in ways that will drive meaningful changes to the customer experience at the locations they frequent.”

The most popular delivery feedback is online.

About 50 percent will give feedback for an incentive. However, incentives aren’t necessary for the majority – 31 percent are willing to give positive input and 25 percent will give negative feedback.

 “Unfortunately, a lot of retailers fail at creating the transparency that customers desire,” adds Mr. Edwards.

“Admitting some areas of the business require more attention builds credibility and helps retailers realize the huge potential for brand advocacy,” he says. “There are large numbers of customers out there who are motivated to provide feedback for the brand.”

Obviously, big box retailers are wasting billions of dollars in research. Hopefully, your company has a better track record.

It’s imperative to act on valuable consumer feedback, and thank the customer. It’s good business. Besides, wouldn’t it be better to manage the dialogue?

From the Coach’s Corner, a suggested read: Understanding Customers: Social Media Teaches Another Lesson

At some time in the life cycle of every organization, its ability to succeed in spite of itself runs out.

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Author Terry Corbell has written innumerable online business-enhancement articles, and is a business-performance consultant and profit professional. Click here to see his management services. For a complimentary chat about your business situation or to schedule him as a speaker, consultant or author, please contact Terry.

 

Tips, Plus Why it’s Never Too Early to Plan for Q4 E-commerce

 

It’s never to early to get ready ASAP for Q4 online sales. Why? A study of e-commerce released in 2012 covering from Nov. 24 to Dec. 24, 2011, discloses some secrets you might need to know.

MerchantTribe.com reports shoppers are buying more items daily in the holiday shopping season, but the size of the typical order soon decreases significantly. That’s the conclusion from studying data from merchants using MerchantTribe shopping cart software – for books, clothing, electronics, software, and sporting goods.

“We were surprised by the significant change in how much is spent per-order over the season,” said Marcus McConnell, founder of MerchantTribe.

“That seemed to defy the conventional wisdom that shoppers are as influenced by price at the beginning of the season than at the end,” Mr. McConnell added. “Perhaps shoppers purchase gifts for more important recipients first. Or maybe they wait for harder to shop for friends and family members and they’ve exhausted their budgets.”

He provides another important conclusion: “Either way, they become more cost conscious the closer to Christmas they shop.”

More details from the study:

• Customers placed more online orders as the season progressed, peaking on December 20.
• Merchants made the highest amount of revenue per day shortly after Thanksgiving.
• Customers spent significantly more per online order at the beginning of the season than at the end.
• Conversion rates rose throughout the season, but dropped off around December 20.

To attract more cost-conscious buyers late in the selling season, Mr. McConnell’s suggests:

1. Bundle your sale items.
2. On minimum orders, offer discount shipping rates.
3. Create late-breaking affordable groups.
4. Because conversion rates increase when shoppers stop comparing prices, but conversions decrease about Dec. 20, consider increasing shipping rates to offset the smaller orders.

For more, Website Magazine published a informative article: Merchant’s Marketing Guide to Christmas in July. It provides excellent reminders about promotions, keywords, e-mail, social media and mobile advertising.

From the Coach’s Corner, here are related resources:

• Timely for Q4 Sales: Latest Trends in E-mail Marketing
• How Small Businesses Can Capitalize on Cyber Strategies for Profit
• 10 Best Marketing Tips for Growth Even on a Tight Budget

“E-commerce businesses, even e-commerce specialists, have yet to realize that the WWW is first and foremost an emotional experience. Few websites reflect this important priority.”

-Grant Fairley

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Author Terry Corbell has written innumerable online business-enhancement articles, and is a business-performance consultant and profit professional. Click here to see his management services. For a complimentary chat about your business situation or to schedule him as a speaker, consultant or author, please contact Terry.

 

Understanding Customers: Social Media Teaches Another Lesson

 

Marketing is the understanding of your customer for the cost-effective process of selling the right product or service at the right time and at the right price.

Inexplicably, Verizon joins the list of big companies failing to understand how poor research and judgment would draw fire from their customers and social media.

You might recall the wireless company announced a controversial $2 fee on their customers for making one-time telephone or Web payments. It was to take effect on Jan. 15, 2012. Less than 24 hours after making the announcement, Verizon was forced to rescind the scheme.

Why?

Verizon was lacking in discernment, and the fee announcement instantaneously drew the wrath from thousands of jolted customers.

Social media was buzzing. More than 100,000 customers signed a Change.org petition demanding the company change course. A regulatory agency, the Federal Communications Commission, announced it would investigate the issue.

In turn, Verizon was startled into reality. It was a sharp reminder that Verizon misread the situation. To be fair, Verizon isn’t alone.

Just two months ago, Netflix backtracked on its decision to break up a division – morphing its DVD rental service into something called Qwikster. Poor sales caused the CEO to take a cut in his remuneration.

In November, Bank of America incurred the wrath of thousands of customers when it announced a $5 charge for using debit cards. Thousands of customers became credit union members.

What were they thinking? Why aren’t such companies aware of the implications of the Digital Age and the economy?

Apparently, executives need to spend some time in sales with customers. Companies need to think 1930s for business success. Consumer attitudes are changing.

Verizon, Bank of America and Netflx should have enough marketing sophistication to understand the economic elasticity of consumer attitudes and fees. To the businesses, they were only charging a little extra money. To their customers, it was a strong perception of greed and unfairness.

Add social media to the mix and the companies face a firestorm. Not only is it a waste of corporate time and money, such naiveté leads to a dilution of their brands and weakening of sales.

The Internet launched an era of consumer awareness. That was both good news and bad news for business. It gave Web users unprecedented power – power for them to research brands and prices – and power to share critical information with countless other users.

And given this economy, Internet users and all consumers are more concerned than ever about value. So it’s important for companies to use best practices to optimize their brands and manage their Web reputations.

It’s also a good time to review PR-crisis management tips, research their customers and make certain that they’re discerning correctly.

Again, the lesson: Marketing is the understanding of your customer for the cost-effective process of selling the right product or service at the right time and at the right price.

From the Coach’s Corner, before you’re tempted to make a possible catastrophic decision about fees or prices, consider eight simple strategies to give you pricing power.

“The only thing that’s worse than being blind, is having sight but no vision.”

-Helen Keller

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Author Terry Corbell has written innumerable online business-enhancement articles, and is a business-performance consultant and profit professional. Click here to see his management services. For a complimentary chat about your business situation or to schedule him as a speaker, consultant or author, please contact Terry.

 

Who Profits from Android’s Security Issues? Not Users.

 

Updated – Oct. 16, 2012

The security hits on Androids just keep on comin’. A government task force, the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) has issued a dire warning about malware. In particular, it’s a threat to Android users. As a result, IC3 issued security tips for users.

There’s also a version of the OpFake malware for Android – it’s incorporated in the Opera Mini mobile browser, according to ZDNet. Users don’t know anything’s wrong until they use the legitimate software.

Android user beware: other security applications are fakes, too – they’re Zeus malware. Known as “Android Security Suite Premium,” they confiscate new SMS messages to the Android user.

Messages can include passwords and other sensitive data, according to Kapersky Lab Security News Service.

Countless headlines detail the cyber dangers of Android-based devices, which is why it was announced in late 2011 that 22 applications were taken off the market by Google. The operating system’s issues stemmed from malware infections.

So who can benefit? Certainly it isn’t Android users.

“We continue to advise readers to be very cautious in downloading Android applications,” wrote Dr. Stan Stahl on his blog. “Applications should be downloaded only from ‘official’ stores and only after they have been ‘vetted’ as legit,” wrote the nationally known security expert.

Google removed the apps from its Android market after they fooled users into accepting hidden, fraudulent charges.

The biggest operating-system competitor to Google’s Android: Apple’s iOS.

Published reports indicate Microsoft is actively pursuing opportunities to capitalize on Android’s woes.

Research in Motion (RIM) has its woes with Blackberry profitability. New products are slow to market. As RIM’s phones age and need to be replaced by business users, Apple’s products might become even more attractive in the corporate world.

And if the vulnerabilities aren’t resolved, both Apple and Microsoft should be in a position to profit.

From the Coach’s Corner, security resource links:

• New Cybercrime Serves as Warning to Take Defensive Precautions
• Why Many Healthcare Workers Are Responsible for Alarming Trend: Medical ID Theft
• Our Mobile-Banking Warnings about Security Prove Prophetic

“Distrust and caution are the parents of security.”

-Benjamin Franklin

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Author Terry Corbell has written innumerable online business-enhancement articles, and is a business-performance consultant and profit professional. Click here to see his management services. For a complimentary chat about your business situation or to schedule him as a speaker, consultant or author, please contact Terry.

 

Is Economy Marginalizing Thanksgiving as a Holiday?

 

Grateful for their religious freedom, 53 pilgrims enjoyed the first Thanksgiving nearly 400 years ago in Plymouth, Mass. They were survivors of the original 100 separatists from their arduous Atlantic Ocean journey aboard the Mayflower from Southampton, England.

Originally, their destination was Virginia, but they disembarked in Mass. It was a severe winter. But they survived with the help of Native Americans, who taught them valuable lessons – how to live off the land.

A year later in 1621, for three days, the pilgrims and Indians were able to celebrate their good fortune. Initially, it was a religious Thanksgiving.

Over the years Thanksgiving became an American tradition as an opportunity for gratitude – enjoying a plentiful meal with family and friends – all while giving thanks.

President Lincoln declared it a holiday in 1863 on the third Thursday of Nov. It was switched to the fourth Thursday in Nov. during the 1940s.

So with the exception of some professions such as journalism, airlines, first responders and healthcare, it’s been a holiday.

But in the quest for profits that’s changed. Initially, it was just workers in retailing have to work Thanksgiving to prepare for Black Friday. That’s the day retailers start earning green in the holiday shopping season.

It’s one thing to be altruistic to serve Americans who need prescriptions for their illnesses. But starting in 2011, the nation’s largest retailer, Walgreen, is open Thanksgiving for what it calls one-day-only deals to jumpstart its Q4 sales. For similar reasons, its competitor Rite Aid was open, too.

There have been many indicators many people can’t take advantage of such sales. We’re turning into a nation of haves and have nots.

My sense is that many fortunate Americans are missing some other important signs – they’re reminiscent of the Great Depression: 

• We seem to have forgotten about America’s Hoovervilles. In pointing a finger at President Hoover for his inability to prevent economic chaos, Hooverville was a term coined by Democrats to describe the shanty towns of unemployed Americans. Old newspapers that were used to keep unemployed people warm were referred to as Hoover blankets. Worn out shoes were lined with cardboard and called Hoover leather.
• In 1932, World War I veterans marched on the nation’s capital. Twenty-five percent of the nation’s budget had been swallowed by veteran benefits, but many veterans were destitute from unemployment. They demanded early payment for their benefit promised for 1945.
• Economic hardship exacerbated by a drought, forced thousands of Oklahomans to seek a better future – dignity, jobs and land – by migrating to California.

For poignant visual reminders, see this photo essay.

Fast forward to today. Some 100 million Americans are either in poverty or close to it, according to the U.S. Census Bureau in 2011. We’re not talking about new immigrants. We’re talking about nearly 33 percent of Americans – most have high school or college educations.

Many can’t get a job or they’re under-employed. Many are baby boomers whose jobs disappeared in the new service economy. Others have suffered from deteriorating living standards and moribund wages.

It’s true many have not prepared for globalization and the digital age (Study: Unemployment Stems Partly from Deficient Worker Skills, Education).

But there are other reasons. Unlike the New Deal policies of Franklin Roosevelt, the federal government is a hindrance.

The trade deficit is out-of-control. So is the federal budget.

‎Additionally, consider federal regulations. Cabbage, for example, is a commodity many will enjoy on Thanksgiving – however, the U.S. government bureaucracy uses 26,911 words to regulate it.

Compare the cabbage example with the Declaration of Independence: A mere 1,300 words.

Or how about the U.S. Constitution and its amendments: 7,818 words.

But the federal government won’t balance the budget. Politics – an infinite pursuit for power – stands in the way. What’s worse, Congress hasn’t passed even one budget during the tenure of President Obama.

The divergence of the poor and affluent is a huge threat. It’s a menace to our nation’s core values as expressed in our Declaration of Independence – because we’re failing to honor a legacy.

Even though the pilgrims of 1621 showed us the way. They didn’t let politics and poor public policy disillusion them. They found a way to exist harmoniously with their Native American neighbors, worked hard, practiced stewardship of their assets and reaped a bountiful harvest. That’s why they had reasons to celebrate for a Happy Thanksgiving.

When will we? At the least, if our issues aren’t solved, the pilgrims would be aghast.

From the Coach’s Corner, here are places to start:

• Federal Reserve Typifies What’s Wrong with Economy
• Biography: Will President Obama Listen to Steve Jobs on the Economy?
• How CEOs, Taxes and Policymakers Fail the U.S.

“Dependence begets subservience and venality, suffocates the germ of virtue, and prepares fit tools for the designs of ambition.”

-Thomas Jefferson

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Author Terry Corbell has written innumerable online business-enhancement articles, and is a business-performance consultant and profit professional. Click here to see his management services. For a complimentary chat about your business situation or to schedule him as a speaker, consultant or author, please contact Terry.

 

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