I'm in the business of helping small business owners solve business problems. There are plenty of things that make my job interesting but one thing in particular is the problem identification phase of an engagement. Inevitably clients tell me symptoms of their problems but they think the symptoms are the problems themselves. They also seem to think at times that their problems are only theirs.

Both of these things are sorely untrue. The symptoms are only indications that a more rooted problem exist and it takes time and patience to get in deep and extract the real problem. But if nothing is done, nothing disappears and your problems become the problems of so many others.

Something strange is going on in the world of small business and micro enterprises in our country. I mean not like UFO strange or Teen Wolf (for those who can remember) strange but strange nonetheless. At some point in recent history business people stopped wanting to talk about business. Not just the wrong place, wrong time situations but more so the attitude that says, Let's Not Talk Business any place, at any time! 

This perplexes me to say the least. I have been an entrepreneur since I was in high school. I studied entrepreneurship in college and I have been working with small business owners for the better part of 15 years. Needless to say I know business people. I have worked with multimillionaire CEOs and young start-ups that struggled to collateralize their store front lease. But for the first time ever business people aren't talking business.

One of the key components of my belief system is "People part with their hard earned dollars for one of two reasons: Solutions to their problems or good feelings." So the question that you must ask yourself if you own, run or are about to start your own business is, does your product, service or experience accomplish that for customers/clients?