As we become mired in the presidential election cycle this summer, the first instinct many of us have is to rage against the machine of big government.
Moving forward, you’ll hear many promises from politicians hoping to secure your vote. And many of those promises — whether the candidates want to elaborate on the details or not — would come with a mandate for a little more tax money here, a little more paperwork there.
Enough is enough, right? Stop the insanity of new initiatives that often have an end result of making life difficult for small business owners. That’s how lots of hardworking American entrepreneurs feel when the talk turns to weighty issues like Social Security, the crushing cost of energy and healthcare, a crumbling infrastructure and illegal immigration.
Pumpers come in all shapes, sizes and political persuasions. But whether you classify yourself as a Republican, Democrat, Libertarian or Green Party supporter, there’s a pro-business point of view that might seem counter-intuitive: Regulation can be your friend.
There, I said it. The point might make hypocrites of many independent-minded, get-the-government-off-my-back business owners, but the fact is that some amount of new regulation is good for the liquid waste-pumping industry.
How about an example? I’ll give you two obvious areas where greater regulation should be embraced by the industry. These are issues I’ve heard more rumblings about over the past year.
Stricter requirements for portable sanitation
After municipalities and health departments started requiring restrooms at construction sites and special event venues, it seemed only a matter of time before those regulations would become more stringent.
In some cases, special event customers are running ahead of the regulators by demanding hand-wash facilities along with restrooms. However, contractors tell me that construction customers have been more sluggish to adopt better sanitation standards. But I would bet mandates for hand-wash sinks or hand sanitizers are on the way across the nation.
And why not? Would you want your spouse or children using a restroom without being able to wash up afterward? This would seem to be an easy argument to make with customers as well. While construction site superintendents might balk, this is one smart regulation that will ensure you more sales.
Point-of-sale inspections
Remember the last time you flipped the lid of a septic tank that hadn’t been inspected in 10, 15 years or more? It served as a reminder that a certain percentage of homeowners will only pay for your services when someone makes them do it. You know that these folks, and real estate agents unconcerned or unaware of the costs associated with septic system failure, are driving more enforced system inspections.
Heightened regulation in this case is good for everyone. Point-of-sale inspections could save buyers from expensive unexpected repairs and sellers from legal entanglements. Forced inspections will upgrade the quality of groundwater and enhance the reputation of onsite systems for practical and effective wastewater handling. And last, but not least, real estate inspections will provide you with more, and more consistent work … fewer emergency calls.
GOOD FOR BUSINESS
You might not like government intrusion in your personal life, but it’s hard to deny that it’s probably a good thing for environmental regulators to butt into your business now and then. Got any feedback? Go to www.pumper.com, click on the Online Discussion Forum and post a topic. See you there!
