At this point, the questionable decision-making from within the highest office in the free world is mindboggling and, quite frankly, repulsive. President Joe Biden seems to have fallen asleep at the wheel and small business owners are among the demographics being disproportionately affected by his reckless choices and lack of action.

Ordinary Americans -- the ones who own local plumbing businesses, gas stations, convenience stores, consulting services, restaurants, and sporting goods stores -- are under attack. And all the while, our sleepy president hides behind his press secretary and twiddles his thumbs.

If small business owners don’t step up quickly, these threats could uproot the business world as we know it and place all the power firmly in the hands of politicians who are bought and paid for by billion-dollar corporations and their lobbyists.

The Biden Admin Has Silently Declared War

Rampant inflation, clogged supply chains, increased restrictions, rising costs, a declining stock market, and the imminent threat of ballooning taxes are the gifts American small business owners have received from President Joe Biden and his talented administration over his first two years in office.

While the gullible media has spent months drooling over the White House’s $1.7 trillion “Build Back Better Plan,” small business owners have been drowning. Despite talking a big game about supporting the middle class, Biden continues to undermine small business owners by limiting their ability to compete in a free enterprise market.

While Biden has never been confused with being a pro-business or pro-American politician, the fact is people expect more. The only time he speaks on business-related issues is to offer up phony platitudes of support, telling people to “hang in there.” And while he claims his mission is to destroy greedy corporations and “big business,” he’s controlled by the lobbyists who are in bed with these very companies. In total, 1,069 lobbyists are active contributors to Biden.

But sometimes what a president doesn’t say is more deafening than what he does say. This is certainly true with President Biden. To date, Biden has hosted a grand total of 16 press conferences in his first two years in the Oval Office (an average of 0.88 per month). For perspective, former President Donald Trump hosted 21, 18, 13, and 36 press conferences during his four years, respectively.  Former President Barack Obama averaged 1.7 press conferences per month, including the following yearly numbers during his eight years in office: 27, 19, 20, 11, 22, 22, 20, 22. And if you go back to former President George W. Bush, he held 210 press conferences in his eight years (average 2.18 press conferences per month).

Even worse, when President Biden does host a press conference, he almost never takes questions from the public. And if he does, they’re hand-picked by his team (who give him a question and answer “cheat sheet” so that he knows what to say).

“White House staffers are on pins and needles when Biden speaks publicly, fearing ​he’ll field questions from reporters afterward and muddle the West Wing’s carefully crafted messaging,” New York Post reports. “The agita level is so high that some staffers will either mute the sound or turn off his remarks.”

The fact that Biden does not speak much publicly means Americans get very few answers from the man himself. Instead, everything is carefully filtered through official press releases and calculated statements from the president’s Press Secretary, who can frequently be heard saying things like, “I don’t want to put words in the President’s mouth.” The irony is unmistakable.

How Small Business Owners Can Stand Up and Fight

In order to be successful in today’s challenging marketplace, small business owners must stand up and fight. Here are some specific steps you can take:

1. Lower Your Costs

Now’s the time to cut any superfluous, non-essential costs that are putting a drain on your profit margins. Here are some ideas:

• Look for a cheaper credit card processing service
• Shop around suppliers and look for cheaper rates
• Eliminate any expenses that don’t have a direct impact on revenue
• Meet with your CPA to discuss any new opportunities for tax savings that you might not currently be taking advantage of.
• Consider downsizing and hiring contractors to handle non-core tasks
• Negotiate your lease and/or take your business virtual

For many small businesses, cutting costs by a couple of thousand dollars per month could mean the difference between losing money and turning a profit.

2. Expand Your Reach

The expansion of privacy laws have really put a damper on some of what small businesses are able to do on the advertising and marketing front. However, if you’re strategic about retargeting ads and remarketing, you can stretch your ad budget and increase your chances of moving prospects to action. The best way to do this is to hire a remarketing ads management service to oversee a campaign on your behalf.

3. Don’t Be Afraid to Pivot

The only certainty in the business world is change. If you become too closely hitched to any one idea, product, or business model, you’ll eventually become extinct. It doesn’t matter if it’s Apple, Coca-Cola, or John’s Hardware Store on Main Street, pivoting is part of the game.

Some pivots are soft -- like adjusting your hours to meet the changing needs of your customers. Other pivots are harder -- like totally switching target markets or industries. Ultimately, it’s up to you to be discerning enough to know when to make a change.

Putting it All Together

Small business owners aren’t looking for handouts. We just don’t want to be undercut every step of the way. Unfortunately, it doesn’t appear that the current administration has any interest in helping small business owners succeed.

All said and done, it’s up to each of us to pick ourselves up by our bootstraps and continue to push in spite of the challenging external circumstances we face. Then, when the time comes, vote, vote, and vote!

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