You bet we’re capitalists
I just love my friend Nathalie Jordi’s riposte to a recent article in the NY Times by Adam Davidson in which he rather timidly suggests that many start-up artisan food businesses are capitalist enterprises in the making. The co-owner of People’s Pops has had it with the standoff between small, local and virtuous and large, corporate and evil.
Here’s her key quote.
When Davidson says, “It would break their heart to be called model 21st-century capitalists,” he’s wrong. To us, there is no higher compliment. To be able to lift our business out of the artisanal ghetto into the realm of consequence, resonance and profitability is a dream that, with much hard work, is slowly coming true. via people’s pops: 21st Century Capitalists, and Proud.
Then she checks off the points:
Great sourcing. Yes. Quality ingredients are key.
Bigger. Yes. That means more jobs.
More technology. Yes. That saves the misery of pitting thousands of cherries.
The result. Great popsicles.
Go, Nathalie.
Indeed. Funnily enough, I think the attack on big business used to be because it was a business – that because it demanded a profit, it couldn’t reliably meet people’s needs. (Though, clearly, the vast majority of the time profit-making businesses do meet our needs – we live in a veritable cornucopia compared to the past.)
Now the attack on big business is because it’s big. But it’s the ‘big’ bit that’s progressive! Big means economies of scale, efficiency, lower prices. Small businesses – unless filling a niche or being a starting point for innovation – give you the worst of both worlds.
Good to hear from you, Rob. I love your book by the way. But don’t you think there are still those who think or wish that some kind of socialist redistribution would be ideal?
I don’t think that just being ‘big’ is progressive, and I also disagree with Rob that small businesses give you the worst of both worlds–there are plenty of terrific lifestyle businesses that enrich the local economy and provide their owners and employees with happy, prosperous lives. Plenty of big businesses are terrible for the local economy, doing disservices to their workers, their customers, the environment, you name it. But knocking big business just because it’s big is simplistic, just like putting small businesses on a pedestal is. Ultimately, you need all kinds of businesses in a healthy ecosystem. I’m just excited about growth, as long as it continues to be sustainable, profitable and fun.
Thanks Nathalie.