Great news Friday, of course: the partial government shutdown came to an end after 35 days.
But the relief was only temporary, and smart business leaders will now look toward February 15, which is the deadline President Trump set for Congress to agree on a new border security package.
If that happens, great the government stays open. If it doesn't, it seems there are two options: Trump declares an emergency to start to build his wall on the border with Mexico, or else he follows through on the threat, and the government shuts down again.
Maybe a third option: another temporary reprieve.
The bleeding has stopped from the last shutdown, or at it least will soon. However, tax refunds will still be delayed, so if your business or your clients' business, gets an annual influx from people spending their refunds, that's an issue.
And the fact that another shutdown is still hanging like the sword of Damocles over the U.S. economy isn't exactly a healthy state of affairs.
I really try to stay away from politics here, but as a business owner or employer, this is the number-1 issue on the horizon, regardless of what industry you're in or what stage your business is at.
The great recession ended almost a decade ago now, and unemployment has been at record lows for the past two years. The one thing that could quickly undermine all of that: another shutdown. So keep a weather eye on it, and plan accordingly.
Here's what else I'm reading today:
- Atlanta: It's like 'Harlem in the 20s' for Black entrepreneurs
- Would you invest in a company whose founders looked like this?
- Meet the man who's had a hand in one-third of Wikipedia's articles (and he hasn't made a penny for his work)
- If they can make a startup scene here, they can make one anywhere: Camden, N.J.
- Chinese car makers hired some new designers. The cars are less ugly, but still cheap.
- 8 sneak peaks at commercials that will air during Super Bowl LIII