The credit crunch hits home....

Well I have to be honest I never thought that the credit crisis would be anything that would really affect me.. I mean I have great credit, I pay my statements on time and carry very low balances.. So, when the announcement was made that American Express and Bank of America were slashing limits for the customers who used their cards for everyday expenses I never thought that would apply to me...

Well guess what it did!! I am a small business owner and I don't want to use my cash so occasionally I use my credit so that I have cash on hand and to my disbelief Chase Bank lower my limit.. So, if anyone knows me they know that I have a low tolerance for this kind of inconveniences so, I called to get to the bottom of this and this very nice and lovely woman explained to me that not only could she not raise my limit but I was the 75th phone call she had gotten in the last two hours from a small business owner ranging from payroll needs to needing credit to get inventory for store fronts.. She stated that we were all in the same position great credit but out of luck because the government thinks that it is a better idea to fuel the big businesses that got us into the mess opposed to assisting the million of small business owners who are currently fulling the economy and who will continue to fuel the economy long after this mess is over.

The only thing that I have to say to the government is this... Instead of giving more money to the money grubbing wall street businesses with ethical morals as prevalent as a tiny stain on your shirt we should help small businesses like me who thrive on ethics and the growth of businesses in a way that is good for everyone.

I am thankful for....

For the last two weeks it is easy to get caught up in the mess that is going on with our financial crisis and crashing economy... and as a small business owner I am feeling the pinch with the credit crisis but, yesterday I was speaking with one of my friends and she was so excited to receive her favorite magazine.. Real Simple and she mentioned a really simple idea in a world of chaos we should really take time out to and make a list of the things that we are thankful for and I want to push everyone to take a few minutes to write down what you are thankful for!!

Here is my list below:

My family
My supportive friends
My business
My friends who own businesses - they help me stay sane when times get rough
My entrepreneurial spirit
My part time job
My ability to play the violin for cash
My mentors that have helped me
My new jazz trio

Where there needs to be a clear separation of politics and business

Sunday is pretty ritualistic for me I get up around six in the morning so I can start the day answering emails from around the globe then I finally roll out of bed an hour later to start reading through the linkedin, facebook and twitter and I can't help but to notice how people could mix such a private matter like politics and commingle that with business networking sites. I don't know about you but, as a woman the last thing I need against me is my personal political beliefs! I spent most of the morning why anyone would want to make their life more difficult as a small business owner in this unstable economy would want to upset some potential new client with rants about your personal political beliefs. A word to the wise... Keep your political thoughts to your closest allies don't mix it with your business life.. It has no place there!