Good help is hard to find

By Carol Daniel

It's been almost a year since my husband quit his full-time job and started his own company. It's something he says he has always wanted to do. And to watch and listen as he talks to clients, draws up proposals and world around the clod is nothing short of inspiring and, yes, exhausting.

I often wonder how those who have been in business a lot longer than we have handled the long hours and alternate emotions of elation and frustration in the early days of building their companies.

Several years ago, I received a book called "Honey, I Want to Start a Business."

It detailed what couples can expect to deal with when one or both are taking the leap and leaving their stable paychecks behind in order to venture into the unknown and volatile world of the self-employed.

I've found that not even such a well-written book can really prepare you for what life becomes when your spouse dives into the deep end of the pool.

My pride in what my husband is doing is only outweighed by my desire to help him succeed and help our sons see this rare and wonderful thing unfolding before their very eyes.

I stop short of donning a drill sergeant's hat and announcing, "Boys, now hear me and hear me good. Many a black man is struggling in this country. Colored men everywhere are searching for their purpose, but your father has found his, and you should be proud of him. You better take a good, hard look at what he's doing and how he's doing it and try to move in lockstep with him. Boys, you'll never go wrong following a good man like your father. Now, drop and give me 20!"

But I quickly discovered that I can't do everything that is required to help my husband succeed, and I can't affect all the areas that impact the bottom line of my husband's business.

The most striking revelation is that good help is hard to find.

Far too many men and women don't remember a hard day's work. Many have little intention of reacquainting themselves with that thing (labor) that may cause them to break a sweat.

On one hand, those with college degrees are angling for a company car and an office, so we know we're unlikely to find those who are willing to get dirty under their fingernails every day.

However, some blame this lack of hard work ethic on our celebrity-obsessed culture which they say has created a sense of entitlement.

Name the person you know -- black, white or indigo -- who expects special treatment regardless of qualifications. Has reality TV coupled with a lack of respect for education cause many to think there's a way around hard work and homework to getting your name in lights?

A friend even tells the tale of a parent demanding that her son's grade be increased, although he did little work! Now what impression is she giving to her child?

This isn't a knock on the work ethic of all black people. We haven't encountered enough to make a scientific judgment. We've just seen enough to be concerned.

Carol Daniel, formerly of Cape Girardeau, is a columnist for the St. Louis American and a radio talk-show host on KMOX in St. Louis.