In honor of Mom and Pop Class Registration Software Users
Each March 29th is Mom and Pop Business Owners Day in the U.S., though we’re not sure who made it so. It doesn’t matter, because most small-business owners don’t have time to do much celebrating. They are too busy flipping pancakes at their diner, creating art, delivering janitorial services, and doing a lot of the other jobs that keep the world running.
About 99.7% of all U.S. businesses are designated small by the Small Business Administration. The federal agency’s definition—with lots of caveats—is any privately-owned business with fewer than 500 employers. Most of us wouldn’t regard a toilet seat manufacturer with 499 workers to be a small business. But even if you limit the definition to any private business with fewer than 20 employees, mom and pop outfits still comprise about 90% of all U.S. businesses. Those businesses, ours included, represent about 46% of non-farm GDP. The Bureau of Labor Statistics says somewhere between 600 thousand and 700 thousand small businesses start each year, employing around three million people. A lot of those new businesses don’t make it to their second or third year, but many entrepreneurs keep trying again and again until they succeed.
At Learning Stream, we tend to brag about the Fortune 500 companies and other big names that use our training and class registration software. But just like the national figures, a good chunk of Learning Stream’s customer base is composed of mom and pop outfits. That includes churches and other religious organizations. And many of them are among our oldest and dearest customers, like childcare trainers, pet trainers, cooking schools, software entrepreneurs, after-school programs, event planners, real estate companies, healthcare continuing education providers and a bunch more.
We salute you Mr. and Ms. Small Business Owner, aka Mom and Pop. We celebrate your hard work and cheer you toward greater success. None of us would be what we are today without you.
If you would like to acknowledge a special mom and pop business, or to find out more about Learning Stream online registration software, please contact us.