State Director Set to Testify about Barriers to Small Business
As you know, here in Kansas, small business owners face many barriers. NFIB State Director Dan Murray will explain some of those barriers in front of both the House and Senate as part of three days of hearings called “Small Business Barriers to Economic Growth.”
For Topeka small business owner and NFIB member Patti Mellard, burdensome government rules and regulations are the biggest barriers.
When Patti Mellard started her staffing business 31 years ago, women business owners were few and far between. In 1989, the biggest barrier to growing her small business was a lack of respect. Back then, most of Patti’s business was finding workers to fill in for employees on maternity and medical leave. She started Key Staffing with one employee and quickly grew. Today, she has 26 full time employees and most of her business now is helping other businesses find temporary help with the goal of transitioning to full time work.
A lot more has changed for Patti’s small business in the past three decades so it’s a good thing she likes a challenge! Patti says employers have shifted from wanting part time help to demanding skilled workers immediately. A savvy business owner, Patti has stayed on top of the times by doing things like hiring a social media manager to find candidates faster on platforms like Facebook and LinkedIn.
However, there are other changes that are hindering her small business’ growth and they can’t be overcome with relentless hard work: how she earned the respect of people who didn’t think a woman could run a small business 31 years ago. Today, Patti says unreasonable government regulations are not only wasting her time, but they are also a real barrier to growing her small business. The past 30 years have brought a dramatic increase into the number of reports Patti is required to fill out. From health insurance to unemployment reports, Patti spends what seems like endless hours completing repetitive forms. If she misses just one, she’s charged a fine. “It’s a headache. The system isn’t streamlined and so I spend a lot of my time inputting the same information over and over again,” says Mellard.
An NFIB survey shows that 72% of small business owners cite government regulations as a serious problem with 25% of those small business owners listing extra paperwork as the single greatest compliance problem. Wasting entrepreneurs’ time is a significant growth impediment.
Unlike big companies, Patti doesn’t have a team of lawyers and risk managers to help her navigate the burdensome rules and regulations. She has to do it herself when she’d rather be focusing on what motivates her to run her small business: helping people find jobs. The most rewarding part of Patti’s job is coaching Kansans who have had difficulty finding employment. She helps them fix their resumes, administers tests to see what their skills are, and practices job interviews. The best part of her day is when one of her clients finally lands a gig that’s the perfect fit. Over the past three decades, Patti has helped more than 30,000 Kansans find jobs. But that’s not all. For Patti, giving back to her community may be even more important. She gives her employees the opportunity to make a difference and most of them do, volunteering with various local organizations and non-profits. Patti’s passion project is helping human trafficking victims. Through her rotary, she secured a $120,000 grant which she used to open up a day center in December. In just the first month, 17 human trafficking victims have used to center to wash laundry or take a shower. The goal is to build trust, so the victims eventually accept services such as substance abuse counseling.
Patti and her small business are making a big impact in the Topeka community. NFIB is encouraged that lawmakers are looking at ways to help hard-working, job-creating small business owners.
