The primary issue Hammers discussed was the raising of
minimum wage. Ultimately, he clearly has
mixed feelings about it, but I do too.
On the financial statistics end, there are both advantages and
disadvantages of minimum wage. But, on
an emotional end, coming from an area where many people struggle financially, I
am extremely for it. Those who work from minimum wage job, especially long
term, are hard workers who need to be able to support themselves in a changing
world.
The other aspect of Hammers’ presentation that particularly
left an impression on me was his discussion of how much public relations
affects a business. When the minimum
wage debate hit the Bay Area, Hammers did an interview in which he purposely
tried not to take a public stance on the issue.
This negatively affected his business.
Therefore, he rose all of his workers’ wages to above minimum wage. As a result, once a decision had been made
about raising minimum wage in the area, his business activity rose when his
decision became more public. I had not
quite put together how much one decision can make or break a business, which
gave me a greater appreciation for entrepreneurs. All in all, even though I do
not see myself going into business, Chuck Hammers gave me a great appreciation
for all those who do.
Hey Madeline! I went to the same event and I definitely resonate with your feelings on the subject and I really appreciate your thought about the discussion as Chuck Hammers also challenged me in what I know about the minimum wage. Thanks so much for your input!
ReplyDeleteAlyssa
Hey Madeline!
ReplyDeleteI love that you connected Chuck with your dad. He just gives off the fatherly vibe.
Points of the talk that I liked was his talk on the intangibles of business and overall, life. Making a point to not say no, sticking to one's values, and helping out no matter what really make a difference in the long run even though the effects cannot be measured in any books or records. The little things done to make life better make return customers which brings in more money and makes the world a little bit better. I value doing the small, unappreciated things in order to make everything better, so he really hit some points that resonated with me
His thoughts on minimum wage taught me about the actual disadvantages of raising the minimum wage. I was all rah rah about it, but now, it is something that should be a point of discussion if the repercussions outweigh the benefits.
I loved the irony of a chemist going into the pizza business, so never count business out of your life, Madeline!
Hi Madeline!
ReplyDeleteI attended the same event and I found his story really inspiring too. It is great to see how listening to his story made you appreciate entrepreneurs even more and reminded how hard your dad worked over the years.
Minimum wage was definitely a sensitive issue to handle for Hammers. Even though the media misunderstood his views on the topic, I believe he handled the issue amazingly. I think the way he handles such issue is what makes him and his business successful.
It was great reading about it. See you in class!