The employer seemed to be apologizing to his staff, for his big car, fine house and icons of luxury that he owns.
Then he told what it was like to start the business; how he lived in a 300 square foot apartment for years, ate Ramen noodles, shopped at the thrift store and drove a rusty Toyota, all to get his business started.
Meanwhile friends were taking jobs and earning well. Yet he saw them spending far beyond their means, showing no discipline to save up for a rainy day.
When his business finally took off, the sacrifices were not over. He lived the company every day, and every weekend. He had to guard against the competition, hire the right people, start all over again when they didn’t work out, build benefits to keep good people and always spend the money wisely.
Today, he explained, he is being taxed to death; and is expected to bail out the friends who refused to live within their means, even though he did. He asked his staff if they would work, if he took away half of their paycheck. Well, he explained, the government takes away half of his company’s earnings. If they did not, he would be able to offer promotions, increased salaries and new jobs.
Instead, he plans to shut down his company, move to a Caribbean country and retire. I was sad to hear his final comment – I’m done!
[#441]