Small Business Blog

Have you considered hiring a college student or recent college grad? Depending on the nature of the position you are trying to fill, it may make sense to teach a young professional.

• Young professionals have been hit incredibly hard by the recession and most can’t find work anywhere; many will be glad to work for a stipend, Per diem, or for the experience.
• You may need to take extra time to teach a younger professional however, you’ll be working with a blank slate, making it easier to share your expertise.
• Since young professionals are at the outset of their career, if you able to create a valuable working experience, you’ll have an ally for life.

Where to find college students and recent grads-

Post a $25 ad on Craigslist or the classified site of your choice, describe the position you’re trying to fill, and you’ll be surprised at the response.

Many college students never even considered working at a small business. Show them how rewarding it can be.

Yes, in yesterday’s Referral Key small business blog  “New Legislation Spells Tougher Times Ahead for Some Small Businesses“, we explored the often tumultuous relationship between small business and big government. The current administration is actively pushing for unprecedented changes that will greatly affect small business owners. There are several points of possible discontent as Karen E. Klein of Newsweek points out:

“Along with resentment about billions in government bailouts to large corporations deemed too big to fail, the issues most commonly mentioned as troubling for small business owners as they contemplate life under the new Obama Administration are the persistent credit crunch, the Administration’s plans for health-care reform, and the possibility of tax increases on top-tier income brackets, experts say.”

-Karen E. Klein, Newsweek

According to a Gallup poll released this past weekend, President Barak Obama’s overall approval rating took it’s biggest slip since he took office. View the Poll Here

One may be quick to assume that recent policy has caused a negative shift in how small businesses owners perceive the new administration. This could certainly be the case; as with new legislation, opinions can change very quickly. But if we look back at a Gallup poll that examined Obama’s approval by occupation  between March and May we find that Obama’s approval amongst small business owners jumped 11 percentage points from 44% to 55% percent approval between March and May. View the Poll Here

“Since March, the sharpest increases in support for him among occupational groups have come from business owners — a group epitomized late in the 2008 presidential campaign by “Joe the Plumber,” whose question to Obama about small-business taxes heightened media attention to that issue. Business owners’ approval rose from 44% in March to 51% in April and 55% in May.”

-Lydia Saad, Gallup

What do you think?

Would there be a difference in small business owners’ opinions if this  poll measured approval change between June and July ?