Doing What Small Businesses Do Best...

Adaptability. It's a required personality trait for anyone that wants to run a small business. In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, small business owners from the Gulf Coast were faced with a serious test of their adaptability. Thanks in part to the generosity of companies like The Karcher Group, one small business is getting their feet back on the ground.

You see, Geoff Karcher, owner of The Karcher Group has generously offered up not only the firm's conference room, but also server space and tech services to get a displaced New Orleans couple and their small business back on their feet. Dustin Wright, another Karcher Group employee setup a VPN that would allow the firm's twelve employees to log in to the new system so that they could work the spots all over the country that they've been scattered to.

How long the couple will be using The Karcher Group as a headquarters remains to be seen, but apparently, generosity is running wild throughout the business world. Companies like CDW and Oracle have also offered either free, or reduced cost services to help get this small business back on its feet.

That's the kind of civic-mindedness that always makes me feel good about the people in this industry. The best part about it is that the actions of the team at The Karcher Group not only helped get this couple back on their feet, but will also help the dozen other folks that work for them.

Robert said it well a few weeks ago, but let me put out one more reminder. If you, or your business haven't already found a way to pitch in and help with the relief efforts, give it some thought. Even if it's just letting some of your staff take some unpaid leave to go volunteer to help with the rebuilding effort, you will have helped keep things moving in the right direction.