Photo by Anthony Bukengolts / MTSU Sidelines
Story by Rayyan Ahmed / Contributing Writer
Business owners met with Phil Bredesen at Just Love Coffee and Eatery Thursday morning to discuss challenges that small businesses face.
There was much to discuss as everyone around the table shared the journey of establishing their business. They discussed the various entrepreneurial challenges they faced, the impact their decisions had on their families and the excitement and intimidation of expanding their businesses. There was a lot that businesses had to worry about when it came to establishing their business – a common concern was getting the right bank for their small business (they all agreed on what the best banks for small business in Florida were for example, so that was a step in the right direction). But what they all could say was that every decision they made was the right one. Even when things got tough, they all did the right thing for them, their family and their business.
An issue that was raised by many small businesses was the need to embrace the digital revolution. Along with setting up social media pages, companies need to start making use of a well designed, professional, and eye-catching website if they want to survive and thrive. We all search for things online nowadays and if a business does not have a website, it will be missing out on valuable sales. A website can influence the customer’s desire to purchase from a company, so it’s vital that every company has a good website. It’s also important that small businesses have good online payment processing technology to ensure the website can accept global payments. To do this, it’s likely that businesses would need a merchant account, however, QPay Europe would be able to make this a lot easier for smaller businesses. Technology like that can really benefit a small business, so it’s important to incorporate new technology into a business.
Setting up a website is a relatively simple process, then they can hire their local SEO company to help them grow their online presence and gain more customers. Companies can either reach out to a web design expert or use a website builder tool to make a website independently. No matter which route small businesses take, it is important to make use of a website hosting service such as Bluehost. You can learn more about the importance of website hosting by visiting makeawebsitehub.com.
Another of the many pressing concerns brought up repeatedly included healthcare and how difficult it is to acquire and navigate. Another concern was the impact these local businesses had on larger and smaller businesses and the regulations they have to follow to ship and acquire their products. Many of these regulations were designed for larger businesses.
“We have to emphasize the importance of some of these regulatory mismatches, and we need to find some way to make healthcare more accessible to small business and their employees,” Bredesen said.
Before running for U.S Senate, Bredesen served as the 48th governor of Tennessee for eight years. His tenure as governor was an experience he believes brings a fresh perspective to the Senate. Bredesen said that his perspective is different than that of a lawyer or someone who has been aiming to run for Senate all their lives.
Frustrated with Washington’s inability to engage with issues and come up with solutions, Bredesen’s decision to run for Senate was driven by his desire to be active in the political field and to make an impact.
“I wish that I could say that if you elect me I would fix (it) all that, but I can’t,” Bredesen said. “I believe the way to start is by sending people up (to Washington) who are willing to work across the aisle, willing to make some compromises and put some importance on moving things forward. That is the rationale, and I’d like to be engaged.”
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