Enticing Small Business

There is no doubt that everyone would like to see the court square buildings filled to capacity with thriving businesses. Brownsville should be a destination ... for shopping, eating and strolling. And not just downtown, but all over the county.

PILOT (payment in lieu of taxes) programs and other incentives have long been offered to industry, but as far as I know there are no small business incentives in place in our community.

I would like to see a plan that offers small business people and entrepreneurs some of the same opportunities the big businesses get. After all, small business supposedly makes up 90% of the work force in America.

I'd be interested to know what incentives you think are valuable to offer someone wanting to start, expand or relocate a small business to Brownsville or Haywood County.

Want to talk about something different?

Sometimes I feel badly that I am not posting on a regular basis. Thankfully, that doesn't seem to be deterring you from commenting on previous posts. And that's what this blog is all about. It is our space to talk about what's on our minds and to share ideas. So if you log on and don't find a new entry, please don't click away. Read the comments on previous posts and let's keep talking.

If you'd like to start a new conversation or subject. E-mail me your comments and I'll put them in a new post for you and start another comment stream. Everyone's opinion is important here and we want to talk about what's on your mind.

Right now the future of downtown and renovations are the hot subjects. Check out the comments on "Taking a look at downtown" and "What can I do."

I'm really excited about the traffic and interest that the blog has attracted. Thank you for being open and honest and willing to talk about our strengths and weaknesses.

Sonia

How do you show appreciation?

You can say ‘thank you’ and 'what you do makes a difference,' until you are blue in the face and the recipient may never really feel appreciated. How do you show tangible proof that someone’s hard work is appreciated? How can you be a part of the most successful project in the world and still have the perception that no one cares whether it gets done or not? Why am I even asking these questions?

Recently I heard someone concerned about what would happen to a certain project when the committee becomes "burned out," or when it’s not "personal" anymore.

Which in essence brings up the real question here: How do you recruit volunteers who will make a project ‘personal?’ Someone who will love, nurture and care for it as much as you have.

What if there really is no one who cares whether it continues or not? What if they really do care, they just don't want to be the ones doing it? And in that case, what would make you feel so appreciated that you remain excited about the project year after year?

The questions continue to pile up without any real answers in site.

Why do you volunteer? What makes you feel appreciated?

TN Trash joins festival weekend

Good news for car enthusiasts. This year's TN Trash Car Show will be the same weekend as the Hatchie Fall Fest - October 18. I'm excited about this. Our festival is on the move and growing.

I have to admit, I know nothing about car shows, and I hope coordinators, Wayne McCool and Tim Sills, are not tiring of my many questions. Here's what I know, so far.

There will be a Cruise-In Saturday night at the festival on the court square beginning around 6 p.m. Then Sunday morning, October 19, the show will begin at 9:30 a.m., at the WOW building on Boyd Ave. Registration is from 9:30 until 1:30; judging will take place from 1:30 to 3; and an awards ceremony will be at 3:30. As always, all proceeds from the car show will go to the Haywood County Disabilities Class. For more information, and to pre-register, call 731-780-6061 or 731-432-9014.

This year will mark the 29th year for the TN Trash Car Show. The Hatchie Fall Fest is very excited that the show will be included in the festivities. Thank you TN Trash for wanting to be a part of our community's annual celebration.