Burkhardt Business Services is a small business. We got our start in 1999 as a niche market research firm (i.e., Burkhardt Research Services). At that time, we were delivering niche market research services. Over time, we became Burkhardt Business Services. Today, we provide a range of operations and strategy services to businesses and nonprofits. What has remained that same is that we are a means of independence, economic opportunity, and confidence for our people.
We believe that how people earn a living and how businesses operate matters.
We believe that small and micro businesses provide a way for communities and individuals to thrive.
Through much of history – and still in some parts of the world today – small and micro business have been how many people have earned a living. Small business are a great way for individuals and/or groups to build success. Even in the U.S. today, “small and mid-sized independent businesses employ roughly half the workforce in most economies” (source: Keep Small Business).
When an economy is driven by small business, the economy and communities thrive. Why?
- Small business owners know that that their businesses impact their neighbors and communities. Their neighbors – their peers who they face in the community – are going to notice whether their business thrives or if business decisions are going to negatively impact their community. Therefore, they have an incentive to think about local impact when making business decisions.
- Small and micro businesses don’t run the risk of becoming “too big to fail.” Small businesses that run into trouble don’t have to be propped up to keep the national economy afloat. When a business operates locally, the community has an incentive to support the business to help sustain the local economy.
- Small businesses tend to be local – which means employing local people.
- Small and local businesses can be responsive to local needs and local customs.
Further, small businesses – especially micro-businesses – are a way for people to create employment that suits the way they work. For example:
- One person might function well by starting work early in the day, taking a break in the middle of the day, and returning to work into the evening. Small and micro businesses have the flexibility to accommodate this.
- The corporate environment simply does not work for some people, nor do some people work out for corporations. However, some people function well – and “earn their keep” – on their own. One person might have great skills that are needed in the workplace, yet be highly introverted or have atypical work habits. Another person may have specific and identifiable challenges that make employer-based employment difficult, but they are able to build a micro-business that accommodate their circumstances. Someone else may simply be perennially cranky, for whatever reason.
- Yet another person may need to juggle work and personal responsibilities in a way that can be accommodated through self-employment.
We encourage you to support sustainable business practices by doing business with small businesses.
Burkhardt Business Services provides a range of business services that allow our clients to focus on what they do best. Contact us about how we can be useful to your business or nonprofit. Thank you for supporting this small business.
