Kelly’s Corner, Observations from MSA’s Board Chair
Main Street Alliance is thrilled to introduce the Observations from Kelly series, written by our Board Chair and long-time member. As a business owner with deep roots in MSA's values, Kelly can provide unique perspectives on issues facing small businesses and local economies - as well as offer guidance for those looking to create positive change!
My name is Kelly Conklin, and I am Chair of Main Street Alliance. In 1978, my wife and I founded Foley Waite, an architectural woodworking firm located in Montclair, NJ. Throughout my work with Main Street Alliance, I have represented small business owners in the New Jersey Statehouse and Washington, D.C. I have advocated on issues including health care, retirement security, job quality, paid family and medical leave insurance, tax fairness, telecommunications, and many more.
I recently read this story, told by a small business owner who any outside observer would consider an example of extraordinary success. It speaks to me and I suspect the vast majority of small business owners. Vivian's story illustrates the never-ending 'gerbil wheel' that both employers and employees find themselves on, often without fully understanding how they got there in the first place. It's clear from her experience that even for highly accomplished, motivated, and caring owners like herself, the emotional and financial costs can often become too much to bear.
Recalibrating our standards and changing how we measure success in a winner-take-all society is essential if we are to create a more caring world. Too often, daily life feels like an unsustainable high wire act, where the wire never ends and there is no safety net. It's crucial to establish new standards where employers, as well as employees, don't feel overworked or stressed about meeting impossible expectations.
Part of this shift must involve prioritizing employer and employees' mental and physical health and well-being as well as their own. This is why Main Street Alliance supports public investments in terms of Paid Family and Medical Leave, Child care, and Healthcare.
The need for change has never been greater - ensuring that businesses focus on people is key if we are going to create a society that works for everyone through positive shifts in the way we view success. Here at Main Street Alliance, we are organizing small business owners as leaders to create this change.