the cat lady on thu 10 dec 98
>Sam the the cat lady wrote:
>> Am I the only one who noticed that owners take on average
>> $50,000 in take-home pay? Must be nice.....
Jeff Lawrence wrote:
>I like your posts, but this one seems uninformed.
From what point of view, Jeff? I have hands on small business
experience - my own, immediate family and close friends.
>Opening a store, on the other hand, involves big risks. You need upfront
>capital to rent a facility, fit out and furnish it, and fill your shelves
>with ware. You need working capital to advertise, pay help and carry the
>business until it gets some momentum. If you fail at opening a store (not
>uncommon around Santa Fe) you lose bigtime. Small business owners usually
>have to personally guarantee loans, even when incorporated. A store that
>closes after a year or two usually means somebody's retirement went up in
>smoke.
Let's take a view of this from *any* small business, not art related.
Let's keep this small business to owner plus let's say max. 3 full
time employees - I think it's safe to say that most _small_ businesses
can run full time with 4 people (including a gallery). Convenience
stores, laundries, print shops (copiers), card stores etc etc etc
would come under this umbrella. All would have to pay the costs you
mention above. I personally know people that own small businessess
like the above who do NOT take nearly that much (50 K) in pay. That's
ridiculous to expect!! My mom, for instance, owned her own copy shop
for 20+ years. Never did she pull more that 25 K gross pay. Monies
rec'd were put straight back into the business to purchase new equipment,
etc. The store required huge outlays and loans to get the machines
required for customer needs. Face it, galleries need not much more
than shelf space and lighting and the usual equipment associated with
retailing (cash register, computer, need I go on?) plus of course,
inventory - which begs the question, why consignment, but I digress....
As far as guaranteeing loans go, in Quebec (can only speak with
certainty of what I _know_), incorporating prevents your personal
assets from being taken if your business "dies".
I'm sorry, I stand by what I said. Gallery owners are small business
owners - not some special group. I submit that fewer galleries would
go under if their owners were not quite so greedy.
sam - alias the cat lady
Melbourne, Ontario
SW Ontario CANADA
http://www.geocities.com/paris/3110
scuttell@odyssey.on.ca
"Thousands of years ago, cats were worshipped as gods.
Cats have never forgotten this."
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