The requirements for running for office in the US government are very simple. Generally speaking, you just need to be an American citizen with a sound mind and body. This means that most Americans are eligible to run and help the economy. However, this is not to say that you only need to match these requirements in order to run our government. You need way more.
Experience is Needed
You also need experience that you can use to run the government. You need to be “battle-tested”. This is why politicians usually start at the bottom. They run for office at the lower level first and they gain the necessary experience for them to move up.
Now, does this mean that you can only run our government if you’re a career politician? Well, a lot of political analysts are talking about business owners as politicians. This begs the question – should entrepreneurs be running our government?
The Importance of Small Business
Most political and business experts will tell you that small businesses are important in the success of a country. A country and its economy can’t rely on just the big businesses and corporations. This is why if a leader wants to help the economy, he has to make sure that small businesses are booming. A good leader must recognize the importance of small business when it comes to the economy because with successful small businesses, a country can enjoy the following:
• More jobs
• Less taxes
• Healthy exchange of money, goods and services
• Chance for growth
Seeing the important part that small businesses play in the success of a country and its economy, business owners as politicians seems to make a lot of sense.
What they Bring to the Table
What makes entrepreneurs good leaders? Here are the things that they can bring to the table:
• Experience
If you’re an entrepreneur yourself, you know that running a business is not a walk in the park. It can make men and women crumble. If you’re a successful entrepreneur, it just means that you were challenged, and you came out on top. It also means that you experienced highs and lows and you were able to come out on top.
In addition, a business is basically like a country. You have employees that are like the citizens. You have the products and/or services that countries also have. A good entrepreneur will lead his employees to make sure that their products and/or services are sold so that money will come in. That’s Economy 101. It’s also a good example on the importance of small business.
• Good Economic Knowledge
A good leader must know how to help the economy. A good entrepreneur can be a good leader because he’s part of the economy. Business owners as politicians will work because they know their importance in the economy so they’ll do everything they can to help small businesses so that they can help the economy. It’s not being selfish. They’ll just make sure that small businesses boom so that the economy will boom as well.
• Employment
These entrepreneurs know the importance of employment. After all, they’ve employed quite a number of people. They were also entrepreneurs once, and a lot of them were “forced” into entrepreneurship because of bad employment experiences. This is why they’ll make sure that employment is taken care of, and that entrepreneurship is encouraged.
• Focus on Entrepreneurship
These people know that they should push for entrepreneurship to help the economy. They know the importance of small business so they’ll set up laws that can encourage people to set up their own small business. This will serve two purposes. First, it can improve unemployment since the unemployed can set up their own business and they can even end up hiring other people. The second purpose is small businesses can improve the economy due to the transfer of money and goods or services.
• The Ability to Delegate
A successful business owner knows how to delegate properly. Those who don’t know how to delegate will end up with a severe case of burnout. The same thing can be said about the government. Even the President has his cabinet members.
• Nerves of Steel
Business owners as politicians can work because they have nerves of steel. Those running our country should have nerves of steel because they’ll have problems for breakfast, lunch, snacks, and dinner. Lesser men and women will fold to the challenges. On the other hand, entrepreneurs experience the same thing. They usually wake up to problems and they have problems in mind before going to bed. They face these problems and successful entrepreneurs solve them regularly. This is why they can run a country effectively.
Is Being a Business Owner Enough?
Yes, a good business owner has what it takes to help the economy and run the government. However, is being a business owner enough? Here are the other things that an entrepreneur should have to be an effective leader:
• Added Education
Added education when it comes to politics will be very beneficial. This will be helpful when it comes to laws and policies. Remember, they’ll be running a country, not a business. For example, a degree on Foreign Affairs will be very helpful.
• Political Experience
A small business owner won’t have success in a higher office simply because no one will trust him or her. You still need political experience. This means that you should start at a lower office and work your way from there. However, your entrepreneurial experience will serve you well from the get-go.
• Advice and Guidance from the Right People
You should also have the right advisers. A politician can’t be successful without the right advisers. At the very least, they can help you look at the two sides of the coin. They can also help you with the decision-making process.
Should business owners be running our government? Now that you know the importance of small business and small business owners in the economy and in the country in general, you know that business owners as politicians makes sense.