Lemonade Stand Plan For America

I started rethinking about the state of the country and the economy this weekend when my kids started a lemonade stand. They made $12.50 each for 4 hours of work. It brought me back to my childhood that involved not only a lemonade stand, but also an earthworm farm, handmade fishing lures, and a lawn mowing service. I first thought that maybe my kids had picked up the entrepreneurial bug from me. After watching as several of the neighborhood kids joined the lemonade stand sales team, I realized that the entrepreneurial spirit is alive and well inside each one of us.

Over the last couple of years and especially the last few months, we have all watched as big business after big business has failed us. We have gotten away from the spirit that made America great. It was the small business. Those of us who own small businesses know that we are the grease on the wheel of the American economy. Yet it seems that law after law and politician after politician try to snuff out the small business. New taxes, forced employee benefits, mandatory wage hikes are just a few of the problems plaguing small businesses today.

No fear, I have a solution! I always say you can never complain about anything unless you have a solution ready to make it better. My solution is to make the entire workforce of America independent contractors. For the businesses this is perfect and for great employees this is even better!

For the businesses, they get the relief they need from burdensome government regulations and they get to get back to what they do best which is running and growing a business. They no longer have to spend half of their day “babysitting” employees and managing tons of government red tape. The business can fire the independent contractor at anytime for any reason, so the independent contractors will always give more than a 100% of their effort. They will not lie, steal, or cheat and they will come to work when they feel only 70%, but they will still give 100%.

For the employees, great employees, they can demand what they are worth. This program only works for great employees or employees striving to be great, because lazy and unmotivated employees would rather be paid regardless of their contribution or true worth. Great employees become invaluable, because they now have businesses begging them for long term contracts at an amount that is several times what they are making now.

I imagine this plan will have its fair share of critics. I would be willing to bet that they would be “bad employees” or “heavily subsidized business”, but remember – you can’t knock it until you have a better plan.

Now back to the Lemonade stand, my kids were working as independent contractors for the lemonade stand. They made all of the plans, they did all of the work, and they cleaned up all of the mess. I am going to have a hard time believing that my plan won’t work, because as an “employee”, I can’t even get my kids to clean up their rooms!