How One Business is Surviving and Even Thriving by Taking Action Now!

This is a story in response to our posting on the National Federation of Indepent Business board.  It is about a company that isn't sitting back or waiting to shrivel up and blow away... hope that others find as inspiring as I have.

Health care and fiance jobs are on the upswing

On a positive note, Simply Hired health care and finance jobs are on the rise as are teaching, criminal investigator and game warden jobs.

Our recent post on the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB)

Today I posted this piece on the NFIB forum

I ‘m a business owner with thirty employees and there are two things that disturb me about job losses. First, more often we hear about those companies that lay off workers than those who are doing heroic or creative things to save jobs. Second, most of the news is about what the federal government is doing, will do, or is expected to do to save or create jobs.


The federal government should pay down the debt, reduce taxes, keep us safe and stay out of the way of America’s small businesses so we can do what we have always done- make America prosper.

Layoffs occur when business owners are scared. We usually face that lonesome valley alone. If we redirect the focus to saving jobs, then maybe, we can turn the numbers around. The government can’t do it. But we can.

I have started a blog www.capacitytocare.com and Facebook page entitled Capacity to Care. Each day, we scour the news in search of stories of what businesses and employees are doing to survive and even thrive in this down economy. There are a few, but there must be more.

If you have a positive story, please share it with us. If you are like me, we’re tired of hearing about another company that let the ax fall.

9 Tips for taking control of your carrer in face of layoffs

Refreshing! There are many stories about people losing jobs, here is one from Mark Cummuta that I found on CIO focused on how to prevent being laid off.

Tracy, California Police Officers Forgo Raises to Save Jobs

Thanks to police officers in Tracy, Califonia six of their fellow officers retain their jobs.  Six jobs saved! Reported on Mecurynews.com  Government can't save jobs, nor should it be expected to. However business and people themselves can.  Hats off to police department in Tracy! 

Time Off Without Pay? Would you Volunteer?

Would you volunteer for an unpaid furlough to keep your colleagues from losing their jobs? This blog entry from "The Responsibility Project" is an oldie but goodie with plenty of comments!


The take away is that layoffs and dismissals should be the very last resort. They are devastating! This is only one way to avoid them. We need to look for better ways. My thought for today, when you find one, share it quickly with your employer, particularly is things are slow. Be part of the solution, We can stop job loss! Yes we can! 

Crowd Sourcing - Chase's Community Giving

“Crowdsourcing” initiatives are becoming increasingly popular among advertisers ranging from Google Inc. to PepsiCo Inc., especially for charitable cause-related marketing campaigns.

Read more on Medill Reports from Northwestern University

Stressed Out Employees

Productive teams are less likely to be stressed.  In the words of my departed mother. "go outside, find something to do!"  I think think we have to look outside of the norm and find productive and meaningful things for our teams to do. 

Here is an article from the National Federation of Small Business "Business Owners Try to Motivate Employees"  I am not certain that business owners can motivate anyone.  But we can create conditions for people to feel value in what they do. 

Give a Day. Get a Disney

Disney wants to inspire one million people to volunteer a day of service to a participating organization. Each volunteer gets 1-day, 1-theme park ticket to the Disneyland® Resort or Walt Disney World® Resort, free.
The program is called Get a Disney Day.  The site includes a search engine that helps you find a participating organization in your area. 

Recycled paper that is bright white? Is it Greenwash?

We expect the paper used for posters, letterhead, and brochures to be bright white. Chemically de-inking post-consumer paper back into a clean, white premium sheet that customers expect for attractive full-color printing can be a toxic process, one that presents waste disposal challenges.

The best process is one that involves recycling scrap paper into newsprint, which requires far less water, energy, and chemical treatment than recycling into white paper.

So be careful about buying “bright white” recycled paper. Opt instead for Forest Stewardship Council's (FSC) Chain-of-Custody Certified paper that comes from well-managed forests.

Capacity to Care is About Not Letting Things Get Rusty

Capacity to Care is our business strategy built around the notion that we need to


dramatically increase the productive use of natural resources. From the time we take from the ground, sea or air until the time we throw it away, wherever away is. It makes not only good environmental sense; but also good business sense to do so. .

Same is true with our talent. Our talents serve no one when they remain idle. Quite the opposite, we get rusty as does idle machinery of industry when it is not in use. .

Capacity of Care is our program of minimizing waste, reusing everything we can and putting our excess capacity to use by granting it to non-profit organizations.

Pepsi Chooses Philantropy Over Super Bowl Ads

According to Fast Company and The Environmental Leader, Pepsi is opting out of Super Bowl ads this year. They are putting their money into grants to charitable causes recommended by their online visitors. Non-profits have suffered through the recession. Hats off to Pepsi!

New Year's Goals

Three Goals for the New Year


1. Eliminate "price" as a barrier to buying our environmentally responsible alternatives to nasty old vinyl banners.

2. Reduce print material waste by 50%

3. Double our Capacity to Care Grants to non-profit organizations and to government agencies that support troop morale.

Confessions of a Radical Industrialist

I have been greatly influenced by Ray C. Anderson founder of Interface Inc. He writes "there is no place called "away" as in "throw away" Sustainability is a goal that works nicely in manufacturing. For me, it is a business decision, not a part of my political agenda. We should be conscience of what we take from the earth, what we use to make our products, and what we waste in the process.
Confessions of a Radical Industrialist: Profits, People, Purpose--Doing Business by Respecting the Earth

Happy New Year ..