Has the United States become a better place to work in during the past 50+ years?

1. You don’t have to rotary dial a phone; you punch the numbers or use voice activation technology.
2. To hear a song you do not need to rewind a tape, just stream it.
3. The average person is wealthier than back in the 60’s, but the cost of living has so greatly increased that most households need two incomes to get by.
4. More people have college degrees.
5. Mortality rate is down; life expectancy is longer.
6. The divorce rate is way up.
7. The crime rate has greatly increased and the prison population is much higher.
8. Small business is being squeezed or bought out by large corporations, eliminating competition.

The U.S. has come a long way through technology. Many feel that we have fallen behind in education and innovation.  The computers we had in the 1960’s were used primarily by government and big corporations and filled an entire room.  Not until the 1980’s did small business become familiar with mobile phones, desktop computers and internet connections. Today, all of these are the norm.

Small business in the 60’s was usually associated with physical jobs, such as family farming, sales and manufacturing.  Women usually stayed home keeping house and raising children with the men supporting them.  Now women play a much bigger role in the workforce.  Today, men and women alike can take advantage of the internet to run entire companies quickly and efficiently with a much greater market, along with the flexibility to run these companies from home or small offices.

Offices in the 60’s were so different from today’s office. Working in offices back then consisted of a landline phone, typewriter, adding machine and making copies with carbon paper. Businesses corresponded with letters or in person.  Even getting to work involved a bus ride or carpooling since most homes had only one car.  Today business is conducted via cellphones; text, e-mails, and even having meetings face to face by video chat.  The need to travel to other cities or countries to handle business has dropped significantly.  The internet wasn’t created until 1990 but now no business can work without it.

So, what’s still relevant?

1. Verbal and written communication skills are still quality assets in any business.  The need to communicate hasn’t changed but the way it happens has.  Even language barriers aren’t much of a barrier with translation technology at the fingertips.  Global business is here and now even for small business.  
2. Excellent customer service is still tantamount to business success.
3. Honesty and trustworthiness is still a value; “do what you say and say what you do”.
4. Competitive pricing and service is still necessary in a global market.
5. Ethical behavior drives successful business and improves the world market.
6. Personal contact with clients keeps the impersonal internet at bay.

Many of our clients at Summit Executive Suites have been with us for over 20 years and have seen significant changes during that time.  Several started working in the late 60’s and early 70’s without internet, computers or e-mail.  The changes in the way they did business before versus now were overwhelming at times.   Learning to use a computer was foreign, but they have adapted and flourished as the rest of the business community has.

Summit Executive Suites includes all of the up-to-date technology necessary to run a small business, without the hassle and cost of bringing in personal equipment.  Whether you need a virtual office or a physical office, we would love for you to come by and see the difference.

Focus on Growth, We’ll Handle the Rest!