Tim Cahill: What Does the Government Have Against Pretty Women?

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Tim Cahill, GoLocalWorcester MINDSETTER™

Tim Cahill, GoLocalWorcester MINDSETTER™

Am I missing something here? We are struggling to get our economy going. Government officials in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, as well as nationally, are literally throwing millions of taxpayer dollars at entrepreneurs to create businesses that will create jobs. Those same millions are being flushed down the "toilet of great intentions".

At the same time a separate branch of the federal government is attempting to "create" a lawsuit against a thriving local business called Marylou's. This small coffee-shop chain asked for no government hand- outs, pays its taxes, and employs hundreds; specifically young people, who are finding it especially difficult to find jobs. Is it any wonder why our economy is not working? Is it any wonder why entrepreneurs throw up their hands and throw in the towel? Is it any wonder why people are angry?

The "Arab Spring", where governments across Northern Africa were toppled by popular uprisings, began in Tunisia when a poor, street vendor, named Mohamed Bouazizi was so incensed by the way he was treated that he set himself on fire. His anger and frustration stemmed from being harassed and humiliated by government officials.

Mr. Bouazizi, a high school drop-out who was refused entry into the Army and could not find a job, was trying to do was provide for his family and send his sister to school. Imagine the state of mind one must be in to be so frustrated and humiliated by government actions that you feel your only recourse is to set yourself on fire as a protest. Why is government often so blind to the needs of those who seek to make their own way in life?

Pink cups and pretty women in the quiet, South Shore towns of Massachusetts are a long way from the overcrowded, dusty streets of Sidi Bouzid, Tunisia. But is what Mohamed Bouazizi went through there all that different from what Mary Lou Santry, the founder of Marylou's, is going through here? Is the harassment that the government put Bouazizi through different from what our government is putting Santry and her company through.

I have some experience with running a coffee shop. My place was called Handshakes Cafe and we also had a reputation for having young, attractive people behind the counter serving coffee. Nothing wrong or illegal with that. Running a fast paced, take-out coffee shop is no easy task. It is difficult to find anyone willing to do the work and most of the people we hired were the only ones who applied.

Employees also take quite a bit of abuse serving coffee to some cranky people (especially before they have had their first cup). These customers are often late for work, stuck in traffic or hate their jobs. Unless you have ever been behind the counter dispensing the java, you have no idea how stressful it can be. To be able to hire people who can deal with the grind (no pun intended) and still treat customers with a smile is no easy task. The idea is to have the customer feel better when they leave than when they came in.

Making it fun for both the customer and the employee is what Mary Lou Santry has done over the years. The whole idea of pink cups and attractive, perky employees has set her business apart from the corporate behemoths, Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts. How do you successfully compete with two hugely pretentious companies who believe that selling overpriced, flavored water (hot or iced) has changed the world? I mean, does America really "run on Dunkin?" Do we need "baristas" to charge customers $4 for a coffee and then make them add our own cream and sugar?

Marylou's understands that it's just coffee they are selling. They should be allowed to hire the kind of people (young, attractive and happy) who reinforce their brand by putting fun into pouring and serving coffee. And the government should not harass them either for their model or for their success. Our own government should head the lessons of the "Arab Spring" and show respect to those entrepreneurs who make the economy work. It is the only way this country will get back on its feet.