Small Business Ideas

A fishing buddy of mine and I have thrown around business ideas for some time thinking that if we came up with the perfect idea that we could make a go of it in the valley we love. We came up with numerous ideas*. One of my favorites was to resurrect the milk delivery truck. We would deliver organic dairy to people's doorsteps daily in reusable pint containers. It didn't seem like a bad idea seeing how many gallons of milk my family goes through in a week. The milk and dairy products would be locally supplied, it would keep plastic jugs out of the landfill, and it would cut down on trips to the supermarket.

Another idea was an evening daycare business where parents could drop off their kid(s) at the last minute for a night at the movies or dinner. But seeing as how other people's kids tend to lower my tolerance threshold, for my child's sake, that idea was quickly nipped in the bud.

We toyed around with the 'novel' idea (sarcasm intended) of opening up a fly-shop together. Seeing as how we both have intimate knowledge of the workings of the business, we felt secure in our plans. My wife even said she could run the bakery next door. Would you like a fly with your bagel? Of course, this intimate knowledge also made us keenly aware of the drawbacks and limitations of another such business in the valley. Also, can there be any better way to ruin a favorite hobby then to try and make a business of it?

These rough plans were sketched out before the current economic downturn which could have been a deterrent, but I found the biggest obstacle was that every idea could never pass mustard against the initial question - Would I buy that? No. That's the problem with being buy local/American made/environmentally conscious and a tight wad. It limits the possibilities.

Memories of these business ideas came flooding back to me the other day when reading a passage from Robert Sullivan's "Cross Country...". Sullivan recounts an interview he read about the owner of The Beat Bookstore in Boulder, CO, a small bookstore specializing in beat poetry like that of Jack Kerouac.

"When the reporter from the Boulder newspaper asked Tom Peters how he had survived as a small-bookstore owner for over fifteen years, he responded by saying, "Low aspirations.""

Perhaps that is the key to our business success. Think small. Make just enough to scrape by. Love what you do. Hmm..., of course, it wouldn't hurt to be married to a couple rich wives willing to bankroll us. It would make life easier.

To my fishing friend: I look forward to meeting up again streamside this summer so we can float some bugs and draft new business ideas that will never see the light of day.

And to my wife: that part I mentioned above, get on that.

* I share these because I don't believe anyone would be dumb enough to put them into motion, but if you do you can make out a check and send a share of the profits to "Frank".

Musing on the "Big Tent"

As I sit and think on this overcast afternoon, I can't help but ruminate over the political party that calls itself the "Big Tent". This in turn triggers memories of the circus and being young. I like the circus.

Under the self described "Big Tent" are the small gov't, fiscal conservatives; those that advocate little government intrusion into business. In-other-words, they believe in a laizze faire, free-enterprise, free-market, amoral, survival of the fittest, Darwinian economy. They believe that if you can't make it with the big boys, "tough!" And they kick you to the gutter for good measure. True believers of this thinking believe that riches are the reward for those who work hard and in turn that the richest people work the hardest (and thus deserve it).

(Sure they do. And free-market capitalism has served the homeless pretty well over the last decade.)

Also under this tent are the religious conservatives; the faith-filled that believe in aiding the poor, sick, and destitute because it is their Christian moral obligation, because we are all "made in His image". They believe in the importance of all life and take it to the point of advocating for the outlawing of abortion.

(Never mind that the death penalty is taking a life, also. "They are on different 'moral planes'" is how it was explained to me by a conservative Christian who ran out of ways to rationalize her anti-abortion, pro-death penalty stance).

So how is it that these two groups coexist under "The Big Tent"? And an even bigger mystery is how many of these two camps' principles are embodied in the same person? How can one rationalize the contradictions?

In order for this to happen, a conservative would have to rationalize cutting "wasteful", communist social programs intended to help the poor, sick, and elderly like Medicare, Medicaid, WIC, Social security, while still showing genuine concern for the poor, elderly, and destitute at the same time. This person would have to explain how a hands-off amoral capitalistic economic system that rewards the CEOs for increasing profits by keeping workers wages low and reducing benefits while at the same time championing consumerism is better for the "Christian Nation".

Aye-yi-yi... It's difficult to wrap one's head around. Perhaps the conservative's reasoning is that government funded social welfare and genuine concern for the poor exist on "different moral planes". Maybe,...

...under the "Big Tent".

I like the circus.

"Cross Country...", Again

Reading is a lot like writing for me, it happens in spurts depending on the subject and my mood. Some books can be read in a matter of days, others take months, no matter the number of pages. And now with a family, a job, travel, March Madness, and a new fishing season starting, it's a wonder any reading or writing gets done at all.

In Robert Sullivan's book "Cross Country..." (a book I have stretched out over four months), he recalls one of his transcontinental trips referring to it as his Worst Cross-Country Trip Ever, a trip he doesn't care to remember but can't seem to forget. This of course makes me think of a few unpleasant memories of my own. You know, the kind of embarrassing nuggets you keep locked away in the back of your mind but come screaming back in vivid color at inconvenient times triggered by who knows what, and you find yourself looking for a dark place so you can't be seen closing your eyes, plugging your ears, and screaming, "La-la-la!" at the top of your lungs until the moment has passed. Yikes! Why does the brain have to be so cruel?

Student on Censorship in Missoula School

Attempting to have an insightful, in-depth conversation with a young adult about current events, literature, politics, religion, or any topic outside the teen bubble is often like trying to have a conversation with my toddler, although to her credit the two year old is usually more responsive than the "I don't know." offered by a teen.*

Kudos then to Ana Beard, a Hellgate High School (Missoula, MT) senior, who defies my generalization by offering her response to censorship in the classroom by the Missoula School Board in a well written article posted on 4&20.

The censorship revolves around the use of a video entitled "The Story of Stuff" a Big Sky High School (Missoula, MT) teacher used to incite discussion amongst her wildlife biology students. The film criticises the consumer culture fostered by corporate America and the American people in general.

My thought: Isn't any material that asks young adults to critically think and look beyond themselves, the latest fashion trend, celebrity gossip, or computer gadget a good thing?

* To a teen, this is evidence of crotchetiness that defies my years.

Vet Aiding Vet

Ravalli Republic -- Helping Each Other

From the Ravalli Republic article by Will Moss:

"For as long as soldiers have fought and died for their country, the idea of war has been romanticized.

We see it in movies, on the television and in the video games that our children play for hours on end.

The concepts of patriotism, sacrifice, honor and bravery are heralded, and for good reason - the men and women of all races and creeds who have fought for the ideals and convictions of their people are indeed deserving of every honor bestowed.

But, perhaps, one of the problems with this idealization is that it often extends only to the borders of the theater in which our soldiers fight; what honors pass beyond those borders are many times reserved for those who have given the ultimate sacrifice in exchanging their lives for liberty.

But what about those who remain?

The effects of war never fully recede from those who have experienced it and the wounds, both physical and mental, can remain tender to the touch for a lifetime.

Through government agencies like the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, there are resources that vets can utilize to help deal with the difficult effects of war. But, like any bureaucracy, those channels can often be difficult to navigate and strewn with red tape and piles of paperwork. It can be enough to discourage even the most deserving soldier from pursuing the health benefits and services which are owed to them.

That’s where local organizations like the Valley Veterans Service Center in Hamilton work to pick up the reigns in helping veterans navigate the government gauntlet." (cont.)

Clinton Approach on U.S. Foreign Policy

USA Today -- Clinton Pushes Pragmatic Foreign Policy

Hillary Rodham Clinton, testifying at her confirmation hearings for secretary of State, told a largely friendly Senate Foreign Relations Committee that foreign policy must be based on "principles and pragmatism, not rigid ideology."

"We must use what has been called 'smart power,' the full range of tools at our disposal," Clinton said in her opening statement. "With 'smart power,' diplomacy will be the vanguard of foreign policy."

"Foreign policy must be based on a marriage of principles and pragmatism, not rigid ideology," the former first lady said. "On facts and evidence, not emotion or prejudice."

"America cannot solve the most pressing problems on our own, and the world cannot solve them without America," Clinton said.

Hmm... working WITH other nations, interesting concept.

Bubble Boy Uncensored

Listening to W go off-script is like watching a train-wreck in slow motion. It's difficult to decide what's worse: the poor worded sentences, the inability to check emotion, or his ideological flaws. After listening to today's news conference, it's clear that his speech writers and advisers have already packed up and left.

"Cross Country..." with Robert Sullivan

I'm suffering from post-election, post-New Year's hangover, and I think reality is setting in. It's time for a good escape.

...started a book entitled "Cross Country: Fifteen Years and 90,000 Miles on the Roads and Interstates of Amer..." blah, blah, blah (long title) about a transcontinental trip from Portland to New York by author Robert Sullivan, his wife, and two kids. It was recommended by my brother-in-law (not a bad read, bro).

Less than a hundred pages in and following the return path of Lewis and Clark (much to the disinterest of his family), the author and family top Lolo Pass on Highway 12, take a dip in the hot springs, and decide to spend the night in Missoula. The next morning they park downtown to get some coffee and visit a few shops. They...

"stop at a great little bookstore just up from the Missoula train station and buy way too many books, stuffing our car in a fashion that would halt our progress entirely if we were crossing the country the way families first did, when the United States was expanding shortly after the return of Lewis and Clark." (p.78)

Hmm... I wonder what book store Sullivan is referring to? (wink)

Next stop: a round of golf at the black slag lined hazards of the Old Works in Anaconda.