Thursday, July 23, 2009

Business rules!

Ford, without a Bailout, makes a profit.

How could this happen? Why do I think Ford went from beggar to profiteer? Simple, we, to our very core, are survivors, that’s why. Ford certainly could have taken a bailout, lose control of their own destiny, sell out the hard work of their employees, retirees, etc… They could have taken the easy way out. The easy way out often feels like a safe bet, and looks inviting, and could have offered insurances that the brand name would live on long past their current darkened view of the future. However, it’s also true that nothing of value has ever been ‘easy’ to obtain. Precious metals, nope; Money, not unless you are have a trust-fund (but believe me, someone up the chain worked hard for that luxury); fame, again, no; Heaven, good luck coasting on that one; it all requires sacrifice and hard work.

Let’s look at Ford now, still privately run (more correctly, non-goverment run), and now turning a profit through good old fashioned cash management; Once, against the wall, on the brink of bankruptcy, and yes asking for federal assistance. (But trust this could also have been a negotiating power play to gain union concessions, who really knows other than Ford executives), they have now added further proof that American ingenuity can overcome daunting odds in any situation.

This is going to sound completely like an endorsement, and maybe it is, but today’s news has inspired me and potentially earned my loyalty as a customer. When I think of a truly American car company, I will think of Ford. Maybe all of their products do not originate domestically, but I am more likely now to buy a Ford product through all of this. I am ready to see Ford bury GM as government bureaucracy will prevent GM from ever being efficient.

Now we, as consumers, as Americans, and hopefully as voters, can have an Apple-to-Apples comparison on how the government can actually make things worse by intervention (meddling). We get to finally compare Ford performance to that of government run GM.

I’m not so naïve to believe that some government assistance has helped Ford with their recent excess, but I am happy to know that they did not need Billions of dollars in aid. I am happy to see that survival instincts finally kicked in.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090723/bs_nm/us_ford

The irony in all of this is, our government can now learn a thing or two about running not only a car company, but a national budget from some of the examples Ford had put in place; not only Ford, but from other examples the business world.

Where am I going with this…well, I’m celebrating Ford’s success and attributing that success to sound business principals organized and obtained through business minded individuals.

Do you want to fix the economy? Elect businessmen, want to make more laws and stifle the American economy into further bureaucracy and unimaginable debt, continue to elect legislators (Obama, Reid, Pelosi).

Agree or not, a former business man, or even a governor of a state is much more suited to be president than any congressman, ex lawyer, or even community organizer. You then take a governor, with former business executive experience and a track record of success, well there is a winning combination. 2010-2012, make a difference, fix Washington, please?

Rant accomplished…