Richard Steele
The Prime Minister is in trouble, again, for telling business leaders to act like adults.
I think he has a point. Are people in life generally, or in business specifically, rightly blaming the government for their financial woes, or are we suffering from a deeper malaise?
I’m not sure, but let me share three examples with you, of business opportunities going begging, and see what you reckon.
I can’t be specific exactly, though I’m sure you will get the drift.
I have a house project on the go. I need a tradesman. My cost guess, maybe $20,000, but I’ve asked two firms for an estimate, and have heard nothing back. Maybe they are too busy.
A second project needs a quote and a ballpark figure from basic research in a field completely unknown to me is somewhere in the $75,000 to $100,000 range. I’ll have to get funding for it.
Same story. No replies to my offer of work. Not “I’m too busy at the moment, call me later”. Nothing.
The third example is even more bizarre, as it involves me spending between $200,000 and $300,000 dollars for an item I use often, and is an important part of our business.
So being the prudent person I think I am, I’ve asked three specialists who manufacture this product, and you’ve guessed it – no replies.
There is no trouble with the money, our credit record is good, and always has been. I’ve given each company a good lead in period, there was no rush when I started out on these missions, still no interest.
So what’s going on here?
Is the Prime Minister right?
Are businesspeople complaining about a bit of something that has come about as a consequence of their own lack of effort? Have we had it so good for so long that rather than look at ourselves to see what’s wrong, it’s become an automatic response to blame someone else?
I happen to agree that the so called cost of living crisis is hurting a lot of families, and that the continual increases in price of everything is very hard to keep abreast of. But I see this other side as well , where people can’t be bothered to help themselves, and I shake my head and wonder.
There’s another issue as well that bothers that prudent side of me, and that’s election promises.
This election is too close to call, but any party that offers anything we can’t as a country afford will not go close to getting my vote.
So that’s my message in a nutshell. The world is in economic turmoil, not the country. We all have to take responsibility for what we can control.
