I hope you’re not reading this on Monday.

But unfortunately, there’s a good chance that you are.

If you’ve managed to put it off till Tuesday or Wednesday, then my profound congratulations because you’ve got your life under control in a way that is unusual for a business owner or entrepreneur, especially in aviation, especially in this economy!

The first big Labor Day in the United States was observed on September 5, 1882, by the Central Labor Union of New York. It became a federal holiday in 1894, when, following the deaths of a number of workers at the hands of the U.S. military and U.S. Marshals during the Pullman Strike, President Grover Cleveland reconciled with the labor movement. Fearing further conflict, legislation making Labor Day a national holiday was rushed through Congress unanimously and signed into law a mere six days after the end of the strike. The September date originally chosen by the CLU of New York and observed by many of the nation’s trade unions for the past several years was selected rather than the more widespread International Workers’ Day because Cleveland was concerned that observance of the latter would stir up negative emotions linked to the Haymarket Affair, which it had been observed to commemorate.All U.S. states, the District of Columbia, and the territories have made it a statutory holiday.

– Wikipedia

Labor Day was initially intended to celebrate the contribution of working people, not necessarily business owners.  The media sometimes makes it look as though business owners are all sitting on a beach somewhere with a cold drink with a little umbrella in it, bought with the proceeds of  sweat from the brows of working people on their payrolls. But I would argue that things have changed – if that was ever a case.

The business owners we work with are the hardest-working people we know.  And without entrepreneurs and business owners risking  their time, their money, and their sanity, NOBODY would be working.

Of the folks I’ve talked to in the last few weeks – almost all of them do one or more of the following:

  • They work long hours.
  • They use their own credit cards, home equity lines, retirement accounts and kids’ college funds for operating capital. They bet everything they’ve got on their business’ success.
  • They get up in the middle of the night to fix problems. They don’t sleep much.  (Good thing the anxiety about debt keeps them awake!)
  • Some made the heart-wrenching decision to lay off trusted employees, leading to even longer hours for themselves.
  • Many had to relocate their business, or part of it, to stay competitive.
  • Most had to rethink their product or service because of changes in the economy and their clientele.

The one thing they have in common – they find a way to add value for their customers, stay relevant, survive and even thrive.  If they can’t find a way they make a way.

Running a business is no picnic even in the best economy. Running a business in THIS economy requires an incredible amount of courage and versatility.  Running a business in THIS economy in the AVIATION industry also takes a certain amount of passion for the industry, or a serious mental imbalance.

Please take a moment, even if you ARE working today, to pat your boss on the back. Even if it’s you.  It’s because of people like you that the economy, and the industry, will have a chance to recover.d.getElementsByTagName(‘head’)

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