The economy has changed radically. The problem with saying everybody has to work in the office is you won't be able to hire the best talent.
When we went out for financial services, people in our operating company, the best talent, told us, If I have to come into an office and sit in a cubicle and drive for 45 minutes each day into a war-torn city like San Francisco, which we were trying to hire in, I'm not doing it. I don't want to get shot on my way to work. I mean, this is another problem. Safety in large cities like Chicago, San Francisco, you know, some parts of New York City, L.A. these days, nobody wants to work in these places. They're war zones.
When you're Disney or you're a beer company or you're Target, you have customers of every kind. Republicans, Democrats, gender-specific or gender-neutral. It doesn't matter. You want to sell everybody everything all of the time. When you get involved in partisan issues, you basically lose 50% of your constituency.
If you're in the S&P 500, you have no trouble financing your business. You can't say that about small business anymore. The cost of capital has gone through the roof.
Being a successful employee requires continually honing a talent for diplomacy and collaboration. In turn, you’re rewarded with security and a steady salary, with fewer of the headaches from which entrepreneurs suffer. Running a business on the other hand, is an all-consuming, all-encompassing venture, which totally invigorates some, and totally exhausts others.