Be your own boss.........

.....so it seems according to Germany, one of the few developed economies to have shown growth in the last year - up 4%.

I spent some time in Germany in my early twenties.  After we both graduated, my college boyfriend moved home to Germany to begin his internet start up and so I split my time between our countries, to be with him and absorb myself abit into the society.  One of the things I did notice was a difference in attitude to taxation and social infrastructure.  It is interesting to note that the German economy is more broadly based, so no one sector/ industry can bring down the economy or adversely hold it to ransom.  Interesting also is the consistent success of independent companies, more family-centric you could say, where the people who work in the companies own the companies as opposed to investors, coming in, sweeping the profits off as dividends and keeping the majority of workers at standard pay scales.  These owner-managed companies are investing in their own craft and talents to maintain longevity and not just to spring a buck.  A business model where it's your life as well as your livelihood seems to have helped sustain growth in Germany.

We didn't think we had any particular business plan except to keep our hearts in it, so this business model is empowering for us to hear and we wanted to share this with other  independent creators who we stand beside - we are doing the right thing, keep working hard at it, even through the down times and stretch your creativity, there is a demand for well crafted production.

SisterBatik xx