In my house, you will not find an employee benefit package book as thick as a brick, an award plaque with a high-profile company logo, or a recent pink slip for that matter.

Among the largest and most showy employers, demand for positions is obviously high, as oftentimes they offer the best benefits, Bioderma working conditions and pay–not to mention the prestige of saying who you work for at social gatherings. But to me, the best employee benefit is being plugged into the culture in which I live and move, and with which I jibe. And that is why I enjoy working for small business, and lots of it, so to speak.

Like a stock market investor with a diverse portfolio, I have been weathering the recent economic conditions by maintaining four different jobs on a weekly basis. I am a web support assistant, a “B” class truck driver, a Chinese food runner, and a neighborhood marketer–all rolled into one.  Most of this work is carried out within a few miles of my house, and all of it is done for small businesses.

With the accelerated globalization of our economy over the last 20 years, bankdeets life at work has become more impersonal. Working for a small business in your community puts one in a place where local people can see you and learn to trust your personal input and business integrity. Knowing that I do not have to drive far to work is a big plus for a driver. When I do drive, and do something as simple as bring a bag of Chinese food to a house in my area, I feel that I can serve my community in a way that I could not otherwise. But if I show up in the same neighborhood later with an offer of a free painting estimate, I fuse with the community even more.

The benefit of complementing jobs also accrues to me. With two driving engagements, I might be in an area early in the day, realdetroitweekly and there again later at night–getting to know the streets well. That is good for delivery speed. As a truck driver, I examine the garage doors of the facilities I deliver to, and keep myself up to date on various part names, and door types. That assists me with job knowledge for DDM. I have, on occasion, even found the time to write, and study search engine optimization during the evening job, thus “nesting” positions.

Now I realize that my “balancing act” situation will invite some questions: Do they all pay me enough? My answer is “how much is enough? That differs from person to person. Of course this is not for everybody, as we all have different income needs. Do I think this situation is ideal? Well, no, but it does provide for the moment, and is very interesting to manage. My aim would be to whittle down to one position. What about competing allegiances? The fact that I am an independent contractor for two of my jobs means those hours are flexible, and do not overlap How does it work out hour-wise? I manage the downside this way: ddm when one job is down in hours, other hours are usually available. I do not remember a time when all jobs were down. But it is a little more common that most are up.

Someone might also want to know how my family fares, and do I have any spare time available while doing all this. Actually, my work with CertaPro painters allows me to bring my 11-year old son, and we spend some time together, get exercise, build a relationship, and share the enjoyment of success. You can hardly beat that. Being close to home takes the bite out of transportation time, and I have tried some creative phone-based games we play as a family during the evening job. Sunday is still kept free of outside employment, and is great to be with the family.

So for now, I feel quite pleased with the way things have turned out in recent days. It is commonly said that small business is the backbone of the American economy, 24dollsde and the best producer of jobs. I would say that am living proof that this is true.  What can you take away from this?  Certainly, that you can do more than you think, inspire others, and turn what could be a nuisance into a growth opportunity.