Why do we still need to have Small Business Week? Is it not time to skip the somewhat patronizing 'good job' pat on the head followed by 'now let the big boys get back to the real work'.

When the US celebrated Small Business Week in May of 2009, President Obama used these words;

"Small businesses are the lifeblood of cities and towns across the country. Over the last decade, small businesses created 70 percent of new jobs, and they are responsible for half of all jobs in the private sector. They also help enhance the lives of our citizens by improving our quality of life and creating personal wealth. Small businesses will lead the way to prosperity, particularly in today's challenging economic environment."

In Canada we recognize Small Business Week in October and the endorsement that President Obama used is just as relevant. Across North America whether you call us entrepreneurs or small business owners we know that we are the face of the new economy.

So how can small business take its rightful place in the new economic landscape?

A good start would be the realization that hiring is no longer about taking on full or part time employees as it is about micro-hiring. Small businesses such as my own (a coaching company) often create a support team of part time, virtual and (or) contracted help. In the same way that it takes an accrued number of clients to make my income; the work that I pay these 'employees' for means that I am in turn a percentage of their revenue. Monies that they will use to buy groceries, pay their bills and sustain their own companies.

We also have strong buying power. While we don't make as many purchases of certain items as corporations, we do make them much more frequently than the average household. Laptops, software programs, smartphones are an investment; therefore cost is not so much the issue as we have to ensure that they will give back in efficiency and reliability. Companies need to provide the specific product information that will answer our questions. Research takes up so much of our most precious commodity and that is time.

The same can be said of support services such as banks, and computer and wireless companies who are slow to recognize our unique needs. I applaud the farsightedness of Verizon in the US, who is tapping into this infinite market. They have recently established small business specialist in their stores. "We want our small business customers to know that their questions about wireless technology will be addressed in the first visit to our stores."

Business accounts offered by the banks are overly generic and costly in spite of the fact that the accountant with a home office and seasonal assistant simply doesn't have the same banking needs as the printing company with half a dozen employees.

Owning and running your own business isn't for everyone, those of us who have taken it on embrace the 24/7ness of it. In order to make our business a success we are quick to land on our feet and we learn fast, really fast. We also know that while the passion that is the cornerstone of our business is important, everyday decisions must be based on our ability to act not react.

There is no doubt that today's entrepreneurs are grounded in the reality of life and unlike our corporate counterparts we will never pay $68,000 for a 19th century credenza for our offices. But this doesn't mean that we aren't working towards that really nice desk we saw in Ethan Allen.

To make the path of entrepreneurialism a little easier, Small Business Advisor, Pamela Chatry has contributed Five Things that Forward Thinking Entrepreneurs Should be Doing.

Postscript

Last month I interviewed Australian Shepherd breeder Theresa Casselman in A Woman of Patience, since then she went on to her first ASCA Nationals in Greeley, Colorado. See how she and Belle did: Cassel Creek Website Cassel Creek Blog

Ellen Besso, life coach, author of Surviving Eldercare and contributor to TimeFinders Magazine is currently in India volunteering and gathering material for her next book. To find out more about Ellen's days over there read her MidLife Maze blog