There’s nothing better than to have a “Eureka” moment when you own a business. You struggle and come at the problem from different angles and all of a sudden there’s a “flash” and a “pop” and it all fits nicely in place.

When this happens to you, do you:

1. Breathe a sigh of relief?
2. Jump for joy?
3. Clap your hands?
4. Slap the back of the nearest “ole fella” whether you know them or not, whether they have played any part in this or not?
5. Just go back to slugging it out on the next problem?

I hope you do 1-4 because breakthroughs, no matter how small, deserve a “hurrah”.

Breakthroughs call for fireworks. Photo by alphatangobravo/Adam Baker @ flikr.com

Did you see a flash today? Did you hear a pop? It was us. A long term client and I had a breakthrough today. We’d come close before but it still wasn’t right.

Neither of us thought it would happen.  Once more, we were reconsidering this business in terms of the best customer, product mix, and positioning.

But, it happened. So, let the fireworks begin!

It might not have, but it did. Here’s why I think today was  a “BT” day and here’s what you can do to have more breakthroughs when you’re solving business problems.

• Be versatile. Don’t think you’ve considered every angle because you probably haven’t. We looked at the problem from the perspective of his preferred customer using a revised Platinum Profile™ and we GOT it.
• Be bold and confident. Breakthroughs don’t come to the timid. You get stuck in the “could” world — we “could do this”:, we “could do that”. Everytime we started going down that path, we stopped, regrouped and changed “could” to “is” or “are”. That made us see it as if it were real.
• Be precise. When trying to solve a problem, leave the “pie in the sky” at home. If you use some discipline in your thought process, you won’t have that nagging feeling, you’ve left something out or just ignored something that didn’t quite fit. When the breakthrough comes, and they will, all the pieces have to fit together for it to be real.
• Check connections. In other words before you celebrate, make sure all the key parts and players are in alignment. Take the owner’s 40,000 foot view and don’t think like a manager or employee.
• Most importantly, don’t give up. Be a finisher. Don’t just settle. For some business problems you have to go with the best you can, but not everything. You’ll be tempted to quit but hang in there.

Even if you are a small business with limited resources you can make things happen. Don’t feel inadequate. Research has shown that, dollar per dollar, you are 10 times more innovative than large businesses.

You may not have them every day. But when they do happen, be sure to celebrate. Don’t just go on as if nothing happened because something very special did happen. When times get tough, and they always do, remembering the breakthroughs give you courage to forge ahead.

Do you want more breakthroughs? You can have them but it’s up to you. You’re the owner. What do you do to encourage breakthroughs? How do you celebrate?

Here’s to your success!

I’ve said for years there’s a problem. The issue of the Bush tax cuts just points this out in spades.

I saw Keith Olbermann’s Countdown program, “Small in Name Only” on MSNBC on September 22, 2010, about the “kooky” (their word not mine) definition of small business. It isn’t weird, it’s just flexible as the Small Business Act intended it to be. Maybe it needs work. I certainly think so.

This is what the SBA (Small Business Administration) says on the FAQs page of their website. You can check me out on this.

“Size standards define the maximum size that a firm, including all of its affiliates, may be to participate in federal government programs that are reserved for small businesses. The Small Business Act states that in determining what constitutes a small business, the definition will vary from industry to industry to reflect industry differences accurately.”

It then goes on to say to read the Small Business Size Act. If you follow the link, you get this:

“The SBA defines a business concern as one that is organized for profit; has a place of business in the U.S.; operates primarily within the U.S. or makes a significant contribution to the U.S. economy through payment of taxes or use of American products, materials or labor; is independently owned and operated; and is not dominant in its field on a national basis. The business may be a sole proprietorship, partnership, corporation, or any other legal form.”

There’s part of my problem. The Countdown show maintains that when it comes to  taxes,  a small business designation is only for “pass through” entities (sole proprietorship, partnership, S corp) and then points out how ridiculous this is. But that statement about legal entity status does not pass the SBA test. Or, at least part of it.

The SBA goes on further to say:

“These size standards apply to SBA’s financial assistance and to its other programs, as well as to Federal government procurement programs when there is a benefit available to qualifying as a small business concern.  Also, the Small Business Act states that unless specifically authorized by statute, no Federal department or agency may prescribe a size standard for categorizing a business concern as a small business concern, unless such proposed size standard meets certain criteria and is approved by the Administrator of SBA.”

The expert that Olbermann brought in to comment really didn’t give a full picture of how federal agencies, including the IRS, are supposed to define “small business”. So why was there no slide of it to give viewers that definition?

Why was no one at the IRS not asked to comment? Better theatre I guess.

Why didn’t the IRS want to comment? Have they screwed up in their definition of “small”? Probably not. Smart tax attorneys found a way to take advantage of that definition.  Other small business owners and I used to joke that if you had a business that was the smallest in your NAICS code, the government defined you as a small business. That would make Chrysler a small business.

Not the only time either that “small” has big consequences. It’s been proposed that venture firms that own part of “small business” be eligible for the really one and only government grant, the SBIR (Small Business Innovation Research Grant). Now, that is really weird and in my view and others it’s also totally unfair!

In other words, just because you say you are “small” does not by government standards say you are. Of course, these definitions refer to programs for small businesses including procurement and loan guarantee assistance. Shouldn’t a federal definition be the same across all areas of government including taxes? I always thought so or how can anyone keep up with being an on again off again small business.

Where is the IRS on all this? Nowhere to be seen. Odd. For years, the IRS director just around tax time would go on record saying that the regulators would be on the lookout for small businesses because we were all out to cheat the government. Maybe these men and women were thinking of the businesses like Bechtel and Price Waterhouse Coopers that were labeled by Olbermann as  “small businesses”. By whose definition? Be specific. Where are they getting their definition? Let’s see it!

I am not saying I am for reducing taxes for the wealthiest. I am saying check your facts before you get out the tar and feathers. I’ve been a moderator (for KUT radio’s nationally syndicated show “The Next 200 Years”)  and there are rules even for commentators.

If you would like to read more about the size standards and judge for yourself about who the heck people are talking about, here are some useful links.

• Size Standards Methodology
• Small Business Size Regulations
• Table of Size Standards
• Summary of Size Standards by Industry
• Guide to Size Standards
• Size Protests, Size Determinations, and Appeals
• Revision of Size Standards
• Use of Size Standards for Government Procurement
• Businesses Determined Other Than Small

And, if you don’t think that’s confusing enough, the states have their own definitions by statute. In Texas, a small business is defined in Vernon’s Civil Statutes as under 100 employees. That said, if you look just at the latest statistics on the number of firms in the Austin Metropolitan Statistical Area, there are 35,129 firms under 500 employees. About 880 of them have from 100-499 employees. That’s 2.51 % of that total; pretty close to the 3% people are yelling about. And, this percentage holds true in most MSAs where I can find numbers. (These particular numbers are provided by the nonpartisan LMCI division at the Texas Workforce Commission.)

Some of those 880 are probably making a lot than $250,000 in order to support the overhead of that number of employees. And, unlike the commentator would lead one to believe, I’ll bet they are not all Republicans. I could be wrong on that and I can’t exactly check. But, it would seem reasonable given the bigger small business owners I have met are not from just one party. (Some of their spouses have even served as Democrats in the legislature and elsewhere.)

What good can come out this mess? Maybe, the powers that be will get real and come up with a definition that actually and accurately defines who we small businesses really are. How about media people being a help to solve the problem instead of exploiting it. Yes, there are some who don’t quality for the term. Then change the tax laws and stop stomping on small business as a whole.

Finally, you never even talked to one of us to see our take on this issue of definition and taxes. Call me, Mr. Olbermann. I’ll talk to you about what it’s like to be a very small business owner who pays taxes, meets payroll, and provides for health insurance for staff for over 20 years.

No ivory tower wanted here. Instead let’s tell them like it is!

I have been asked to testify before the Texas Senate’s Economic Development Committee about our small business climate. I have my own observations from my clients but I would like input from other business owners and hope you will make sure I have the best information to give them about what we want and need.

I have put together a 10 question survey. Click here to take survey. This is your chance to be heard.

Thank you and please respond before Sept. 15. I will post what happens at the hearing so check back.

Special thanks to Jules Says and Julie Gomoll for helping me with the technology to do this. And I want to thank Will Newton, Executive Director of National Federation of Independent Business in Texas for asking me to do this and Senator Mike Jackson (District 11) for requesting this information for his committee.

Here’s to our success!

I would like to congratulate Austin Mayor Lee Leffingwell and the  City Council for holding its first Small Business Summit in March.

Forty of us were invited by Council Members and the Austin Independent Business Alliance to come and give our thoughts on the major ways the City could address business owners concerns. I was invited to participate by Council Member Laura Morrison, who was the former President of the Austin Neighborhoods Association among her other achievements.

As a small business activist with almost thirty years of talking, testifying, watching and waiting, it was nice to see old comrades and make new allies. It was also nice to be included in this new effort to support small business. To me, Austin’s small business and entrepreneurial history is as relevant to this discussion as the latest news.

At my table were hotshots including the keynote speaker Lemeul Williams of Uptime Devices, long time retailer and commercial landlord Lynn Raredon, Laura Trzpit, the General Manager of one of Austin’s unique spaces Casa de Luz, Jimmy Flannigan from Site Street, a web hosting and design firm that helped keep Choose Austin First members connected, and newcomer Nicole Rogers who is starting an IT training business.

The Summit was limited to two hours. Pretty short and sweet. The first half hour was devoted to welcome remarks and the keynote. This made our time even shorter.

We had been asked to prepare to discuss three  questions:
1.  What steps could the City take to better assist small local business owners with planning and development?
2.  What steps could the City take to help create a better overall environment for small local business owners to succeed?
3.  What are some specific obstacles you have encountered in interacting with the City, and how do you believe these could be addressed?

With the help of our facilitator, Lupe Morin, a former City staffer,  we determined the issues for our table. Then we were given three minutes to present those to the whole group. A total of about sixteen different items were presented as needing City attention with several “dittoes” as time got shorter and other tables came up with similar issues.

By an odd quirk of fate, this very “public” meeting had not been posted in advance. This meant that the Mayor and Council had to rotate through the 90 minutes of discussion making sure there was never a quorum present in the room so they would not violate the Open Meetings ruling. From my perspective, it meant that Council Members got only a partial picture.

My Concerns

Without taking anything away from the Summit or the report that is being assembled by Rosie Jalifi and the City’s Small Business Development Program staff, I want to mention four concerns I have.

1. No context.

Because we did not hear the discussion at the other tables and were only presented with the issue as part of a list, it is hard to tell if some of the concerns people listed were universal or more industry specific for instance, home owners vs music venues; certain kinds of permitting; the power of the Neighborhood Associations. I presented for our table and found it hard in such a short amount of time to help the other tables understand the context of our issues. I know the other presenters had a similar problem.

Since each Council member only heard  part of the discussion, I believe their perception is even more compromised. How these are presented in the report is going to be very interesting and a real challenge for staff.

2. Size considerations.

Small is a relative term. At the federal level, it refers to those with less than 500 employees. State definitions generally use 100 employees as the cutoff and then use another term for an even smaller firm, a “micro business”, one with less than 20 employees. In the Austin area, over 80% of our small businesses are really micro businesses where the owner is the owner/investor, manager, and employee.

Again, it would be useful for Council and staff to know what the issues are by size or complexity of the business. It does make a difference when it comes to deciding where the City can or should make changes. As one of these “micro” businesses and as someone who works exclusively with owners of enterprises of this size, I can guarantee you we look at life and work differently than Yellow Cab, one of the other Summit participants.

3. Not enough clarity. Not enough time.

The Summit could have focused on identifying problems or recommending solutions. I think it tried to do too much in too little time. As a result, what I heard from the three-minute presentations from the other tables was a mixture of both. I am not sure what conclusions I would draw if I were either staff or Council.

For many years in the 90′s, Texas regularly held the Governor’s Conference on Small Business. Business owners from all over the state gathered to talk about problems and issues and propose solutions. Then we went to work to get it done. It was great brainstorming and strong networking. This ended in about 2000 and NFIB (National Federation of Independent Business) and other groups started to hold Small Business Legislative Day. Not as good but better than nothing.

As a former delegate to the Governor’s and White House Conference and Congressional Summit on Small Business, I have seen real change come from this kind of event. My feeling is that this takes more time than two hours on one day in March.

4. The beginning or the end.

This is my biggest concern.

The Austin City Council has started something with this Small Business Summit. It could really be of major assistance to the City’s desire to remain a great place to start and run a business. Or it could be just a “two-hour trick pony”, a false start leading nowhere. My hope that is that this gets more attention and resources and that it continues.

Austin has made some efforts. For years, we have had City Commissions for minority and women-owned business. Good work has been done but not enough. In addition, this has left out other businesses and divided the small business community into two camps. The economic pie is too small for that to continue.

It is time that Austin find ways to support a united small business community while recognizing that we do have some unique concerns because of our size and industry differences.

At the Summit, Mayor Leffingwell talked about our contribution to job creation and also to maintaining jobs. We also contribute to the uniqueness of Austin that comes from having a large number of locally owned and operated lifestyle businesses. We are an important part of Austin’s quality of life now and hopefully always.

As I have before, I will wait and see how the issues are reported. As I have already done, I will present my concerns to Council Members who I think really want to hear from small business owners like me.

Recommendation to Other Owners

If you own a business, I encourage you  to get involved. Pay attention to what is happening. What happens in Washington is important but a long way away from here. What happens in Austin, happens to you and works either for you or against you.

I am also interested in what are your concerns and issues. Please post a comment or contact me directly at triplett@bscusa.com. I look forward to continuing this effort whether you are from Austin or elsewhere. Your insights are relevant, too.

A small business owner's response to the President's State of the Union Address 2010.

Mr. President, as a small business owner for over 25 years it was very encouraging to hear you acknowledge some of our contributions to the economy.

According to the Small Business Administration  (SBA) Office of Advocacy, small businesses have been responsible for all the net new jobs since the 1970’s. We are the ones that hire and train most first time job seekers or retrain returning workers.

We are also credited with inventing: the airplane, audio tape recorder, fiber optic examining equipment, heart valve, optical scanner, Pacemaker®, personal computer, soft contact lenses and the one thing none of us can live without, the lowly zipper. SBA research indicates that small businesses produce 13 to 14 times more patents per employee than large firms. My own father was one of those inventors.

We bring diversity, artistry, strong value systems and uniqueness to our communities. We provide an opportunity for anyone who wants it to participate in the American dream of independence. The SBA estimates that three quarters of all businesses are non-employer business, those with no paid employees. Most are what we call “part-time entrepreneurs” who supplement their income with a business on the side. In addition, we see more workers with a disability starting a business when a job is not available or will not work given the kind or severity of the disability.

We also pay more than our fair share to support our neighbors and to protect the planet. The IRS says that we pay 60% of the taxes while big businesses only pay 10% and individuals pay the rest.  We also pay significantly more for regulatory compliance than businesses with 500+ employees.

Thank you for the offer of access to capital. You’re right that is critical. But, no offense to banks and credit unions, they really are not good at getting money out to us. Even with a 90% loan guarantee from the federal government’s SBA programs, they are reluctant to let go of the cash you give them.  My banker friends tell me they cannot understand why perfectly good loans were turned down. I can’t either.

But now there are other problems. Many have laid off most, if not all, of their loan officers so they have to rehire and retrain people which takes time. Even when there were more loan officers and staff, most did not have direct experience working for a small firm. The corporate attitude has been that a  small business is just a big business that has not grown yet and should behave that way. They forget that every big business was a small business first and had to be more creative and buck the trend to make their dream a reality. They get upset when we don’t play like “the big guys”. They don’t realize that we don’t have full-time lawyers and accountants on staff or the time to keep filling out the same paperwork over and over as we go from one financial institution to another hoping they will graciously consider lending us our money that we gave to bail them out.

Actually though, most of us like staying small. We are “roll up your sleeves” owner-operators who like finding the work, doing the work, and administering the work. We may complain about the hours, the money etc. but there is nothing so freeing as being your own boss and doing things the way you consider the best way for all concerned.

You asked for ideas in your State of the Union address. Here are my top seven.

1.  Give us the money directly. Cut a check  for every small business under 100 employees and less than $5 million in revenue that has an active federal tax ID number. No tax credit please because you have to have income to need a tax credit and we don’t have the jobs to need the credit — yet.

Then we can decide to buy equipment, upgrade, move to a new location, or add staff. If we are smart enough to invent the heart valve, we are smart enough to know what our businesses need instead of being told what we can use the money for. Yes, you have most of the gold and can make the rules. But for years, we have been making bricks and mortar out of straw we create ourselves and spinning that straw into new gold.

2.  Subsidize our new hires and retraining as you suggested. We used to have a state program, the Joint Training Partnership Act, which got federal funds. It had some fiscal and accessibility problems. It was really not set up for micro businesses (those under 20 employees and who create the bulk of the new jobs). Regulations favored larger businesses but it could have worked. Maybe it can be revived, revised, and tried again.

3. Access to affordable healthcare is vital. We are fortunate to have fought the battle for small business coalitions in Texas but we have not won the war. The reason: insurance companies are reluctant to underwrite even when they only have one administrator to deal with. Can you make them play? Maybe you can.

4. We need help getting our employees get through the torturous path of care and reimbursement, It  is a huge time waster and added expense. Big businesses have benefits people that do nothing but that all day. We don’t have that luxury.

Require providers and insurance companies to use uniformity in forms and share information electronically. These two things would save a lot of time and effort and result in more thorough care. It might even get everybody paid faster and would definitely save owners money.

5. We  need jobs for our workers or for any workers we would hire. Require every federal contract or any entity, organization or business that gets federal money to unbundle their contract requests. These groups may have great small business participation goals. But because they put out one contract and want everything from soup to nuts only extremely large corporations who have a “department store” of offerings can win the bid. This may save the entity paperwork and some time since they only deal with one vendor but it is short-sighted. It costs the nation and their community tax revenue, jobs, and the retention and growth of its local businesses.

6. Texas law (Vernon’s Civil Statutes: Chapter 2006) requires an impact statement on every piece of legislation proposed. This is supposed to provide lawmakers with how it might affect micro and small businesses. The federal government needs such a law. I realize the President does not make the laws, but the President can work to suggest that lawmakers do make laws happen.

7. Finally, here’s a thought. Ask us what we need and want and not a government bureaucrat who probably has an MBA but who has never worked for a small business or never had to make payroll and pay taxes when they hadn’t collected the money owed to them yet.

Why don’t you convene a new White House Conference on Small Business? The last one was in 1995. We came out with 60 top recommendations which we presented to President Clinton and the Congress. Some have been adopted. There are still some good ideas there that are worth looking at again.

I recognize you have a lot on your plate. Another option is to subsidize each state to hold a State Conference and then use a web-based national town meeting with you and the Congress. Small business owners representing each state could share their top recommendations.

Here’s to our success! I do wish you and our country the best of luck. Together, we can move mountains — or at least go around them. Speaking for other small business owners, we are ready to help. Just ask us.

Respectfully,
Jan Triplett, COO Business Success Center
1991 Small Business Advocate of Texas
1995 Governor’s Delegate, White House Conference on Small Business
2000, 2001 NFIB Delegate,  Congressional Summit on Small Business
Co-author Thinking Big, Staying Small & author Networker’s Guide to Success

How are we doing? Since there is no legislature in session, the Governor will not give a state of the state address this January. So Ben Philpott of KUT radio (90.5FM) asked some of us who are living through it to give our perceptions.

The interview, entitled “Their State of the State”,  is worth a listen. You’ll hear what I, the Comptroller’s representative RJ Desilva, and others have to say about how well Texas business is doing.

Basically, we all independently think that things are pretty static but teetering and could go either way. We do think that things will eventually break — just when is anyone’s guess — we’re hoping the log jam breaks in 2010 which would mean a good state of the state address in 2011.

Personally, I hope people who have not lived through a downturn keep positive and don’t make a “knee-jerk”, too quick response. It is not necessary to throw the baby out with the bathwater.

After you listen, tell me what you think. Do you agree with us or not? What are you experiencing in your business and what do you hear from your customers?

I am going to be putting your comments and current stats and trends in my own state of small business post coming soon.

The most current LMCI numbers from Texas Workforce Commission for small business ownership in the Austin – Round Rock Metropolitan Statistical Area or MSA (which actually goes from Georgetown to San Marcos) are encouraging. As of the latest data (March 2009), these micro businesses, businesses under 20 employees, represent 86% or more than 29,500 firms and the number continues to grow. (BTW, there are only 169 firms with over 500 employees in this same area.)

This is not unusual. When people get laid off sometimes their only option is to create a job for themselves by starting a business. And the Austin area has been extremely supportive of this. As a matter of fact, it has been used as a major way we have been able to work ourselves out of recessions – six that I know of since we started in 1982.

Starting a business can be easy and tough. Easy because the person knows how to make the product or provide the service. Tough because that isn’t all they have to do now that this is their business. When they had a job, there were others to take care of all areas of the business that were not “their job”. As an owner, now they are responsible for everything including areas they may or may not have experience with or like to do. And, it can be rough going.

In tough times, existing small businesses can also have tough times because owners are not running them right either. They just go from project to project. They look at their check book to see if they made any money and they don’t fix the problems. They are too busy “making the donuts” to stop, really look at what is happening to them, and make adjustments. Or, maybe they are afraid to look because of what they might find.

The result for both startups and existing businesses can be missteps, missed opportunities or disasters. Failure rate (defined as closing the doors owing money to others) currently is running about 10-15%. Usually the causes are inadequate or incorrect financials and the negative impact  on marketing/sales. Not knowing the true total cost of overhead, not just the products and services you provide, means you under price and over promise. Or, worse you sell the wrong things to the wrong people. The last buggy-whip makers might have cornered the market when cars first became popular but they aren’t still around unless they watched and adjusted their financials as well as added other products or services.

Startups and existing small business owners must look at what they are doing and how. They must get and keep their financial house in order. Not just focus on getting more sales. Now more than ever, this is too important to let things go and just hope everything will turn out OK.

Seattle, WA Pike Public Market began in 1907 and is one of the oldest continually operated public farmers' markets in the United States. It is a place of business for many small farmers, craftspeople and merchants.

It is also too important to the entire community no matter where that business is located. Starting, retaining, and growing small businesses is the best economic stimulus for everyone.  Most new jobs come from those of us who own a small business. Most people returning to work or first time job seekers, start by getting a job with us. This is the way to create good wages for owners and employees. This is how yet undreamed of products and services are created. By the federal Small Business Administration‘s own research, small businesses are 10 times more innovative dollar per dollar than big business – why because we have to be. So, let’s get our act together. Our future depends on it.

Share your experience. What are you doing in your business to keep an eye on your true costs? What adjustments have you made or are you planning to make? What suggestions do you have for other owners?

Take Action: Keep up with current business trends by subscribing to LCMI. It’s free because your taxes have already paid for it. To receive their data on Texas and any MSA, send an email to lmci@twc.state.tx.us. It has terrific information on all sizes of business as well as employment numbers and trends.

Flag photo by: jstephenconn

Market photo by: kodama_atpl

Lack of confidence robs us all of possibilities and a better future.

If you are feeling the sales pinch, maybe it is because you are not demonstrating your own confidence to others.

And, confidence comes first. Without confidence, there is no sale — whether it is healthcare reform, a home, car, job or whatever you have to sell.

I can  guarantee you, as a business owner who has been through 6 downturns, what goes down comes up (and vice versa).

There are plenty of books about why people buy. Some of my favorites are in the list on this blog.

But confidence is really “Job #1″. Why do you think the issue of consumer confidence is one of the top economic indicators?

What is The Conference Board saying right now? They see  a mixed bag.

This is the organization that disseminates information and analysis, makes economics-based forecasts and assesses trends including the Consumer Confidence Index©, Consumer Confidence Survey®, and Employment Trends Index (ETI)™.

Their Consumer Confidence Survey®, which is based on a representative sample of 5,000 U.S. households, showed a slight increase in August over July. (Read August 25, 2009 press release)

But according to their Employment Trends Index (ETI)™ September 8, 2009, press release, the  index now stands at 88.1 and is down 18.5 percent from a year ago.

“The flatness of the Employment Trends Index in recent months suggests that we won’t see job growth until the end of the year,” said Gad Levanon, Senior Economist at The Conference Board. “The fact that the index cannot get off the ground is another sign of a weak recovery, perhaps a jobless one.” (Read September 8, 2009 press release)

What can you do?

It is not enough to try to inspire confidence in your business and products or services, if you do not have confidence in others. Who have you recommended or referred people to lately? No one? That says something.

When you are not talking about your business and what you offer, do not make small talk about how “bad” it is. No fooling it is bad. Be constructive instead. What can you share that gives hope? That says something, too – about you and about possibilities.

What is your good news?

Mine is that my good friend is going to stop job hunting and start the business she always wanted to. She will be telling the story of some remarkable women and in the process setting the record straight while making us all feel better and healthier. I can’t wait.

Go, Toni!