Small business experience informs her political work.
Cindy Golding’s parents always told her: If something isn’t
right, find out what’s wrong and offer a solution—not just a complaint.
And for the businesswoman-turned-politician, the advice has
proven useful. Golding, who ran in 2001 and 2011 for a seat in the Iowa
legislature, understood that the only way she could make changes in her
community was to speak up and get involved.
Golding talks politics, small business as a supplemental income
and the biggest problem small business owners have when hiring.
Name: Cindy Golding
Business: DiffStrat
Companies Inc.
Employees: 25-30
Location: Cedar
Rapids, Iowa
You’re the chairwoman of
Linn County Republican Party. How does that position allow you to bring up
local and state issues to politicians?
I get the privilege of meeting every presidential candidate
either in my office or at my home. I get to talk to them, and I get their ear
on what our small business issues are. I can talk to them about the real
ramifications of ridiculous legislation and what it does to us.
I know Joni Ernst, our new senator. I know [state Sen.] Rob
Hogg. When you have a personal relationship with a legislator, [he or she] has
a tendency to listen to you and believe what you tell them. They take it more
to heart if they know who you are.
Tell us about your
company DiffStrat.
We’re a training company, and we have evolved through the
years. Our main focus of business right now is working in a nonprofit
environment. We train on donor motivation: Why do donors write the big checks?
Why do they voluntarily give their money to an organization? There’s a lot of
research, and there’s a process, and that’s what we teach people.
Our clients are Harvard [Medical School], UCLA and big hospital
systems. We work with them to help their employees understand philanthropy or
giving. It’s not something people do just for tax purposes. There’s a joy, a
pleasure that people get from donating money.
Aside from DiffStrat,
you own other small businesses: Sweet Maple Farms, an organic farm; CNJ Investments, a
commercial and residential real estate management company; Advancement
Resources, another training and communications business that recently merged
with DiffStrat. What’s the biggest challenge you face in
owning several businesses?
The challenges are making sure you have the appropriate staff,
finding people that have that same passion for what you do. And this is a
problem for all small business owners, because most of us started with just the
family, just a couple employees.
It was hard to find the right people to be in charge when we
couldn’t be there. I have to be able to count on the people on the farm to do
what needs to be done, the people in the office to do what needs to be done;
the people that are managing our properties need to be able to have confidence
in their ability to make the right decision.
And hiring good people is always a challenge. I don’t care if
it’s a small company or a large company. For a small company, it seems to be
more difficult for the owners to let go and let someone else make choices.
What are some issues
small businesses owners face, and why should they get politically involved?
Well, Obamacare is killing us. The new banking regulations are
really hurting the banking industry, which trickles down to small businesses’
abilities to get loans.
The regulations that are put on small business: Take
immigration, for example. We’re required to do the I-9, and we get in trouble
if we don’t do it correctly. And yet, if we ask too many questions, we can get
in trouble for intimidating someone. So, you’re damned if you do, damned if you
don’t. You can’t sit back and complain about it.
I encourage friends on both sides. This is not just a
Republican issue. There are a lot of Democrats who see the same problems; we
just have different solutions.
What makes Iowa a good
place for small businesses?
We now have Gov. [Terry] Branstand who understands the business
climate better than our [former] governor for the past 12 years. We had a
revision in our commercial property tax, and that encourages businesses to be
here. For our business, Iowa’s a perfect place because Iowa’s historically had
a great reputation in academia, and we are a research-based organization.
What advice would you
give someone looking to start a small business?
You have to be passionate about what you do, but you have to
find something that can generate an income that can support your family.
So, for example, my husband and I love to remodel properties,
remodel houses. We started in the ’80s, and we have a company called CNJ
Investments. We had to have a regular income from somewhere else to get the
loans; we had to have an income to support all the remodeling expenses. And
when you rent or sell, you cannot always count on the appreciation in the
market.
It supports itself; it’s a great second job, but it’s not for
primary income. Too many people take on a hobby and turn it into a business,
and then they don’t approach it with a business mentality because they’re doing
what they love. But they forget—because they love it—it’s not necessarily a
good business proposition.
