The sun is beaming brightly as a few clouds lay scattered throughout the brilliant blue sky. Even as California enters the autumn season it\u2019s a beautiful day that can certainly boast weather conditions that would cause our friends residing on the east coast to become envious of during this time of the year. Faring at around 80 degrees it\u2019s the perfect weather to be enjoying the outdoors. It’s California dreaming at its finest.<\/p>\n
However, even with suitable weather conditions, one small business owner remains frustrated as he struggles to bring in customers to his carwash despite his best efforts. One would think that if the forecast predicated sunny days ahead and an individual had a dirty car that he would probably head to the carwash this week to get it cleaned. The logic behind that thought seems simple enough, and that would have been the likely scenario a few years ago. However, unfortunately, that is not the case anymore, and Chol Shinn of Los Altos Carwash in Long Beach has experienced this downward shift firsthand.<\/p>\n
It has been less than eight years since the economic crisis ended in 2009 that economists have deemed \u201cThe Great Recession\u201d; and it would appear that our economy is finally humming along the road to recovery. It\u2019s no surprise that the recession hit Americans hard as our national unemployment rate skyrocketed to an unsettling 10 percent in 2009 according to the United States Department of Labor<\/a>. Yet, for small business owners, such as Shinn, they have upheld determination to hold onto their business and the hope that the economy will turn around soon.<\/p>\n As a means for both small and large business owners to sustain the operation of their companies during the recession and these few years following the economic crunch, they have had to adjust and make changes to the way in which they manage their establishments.<\/p>\n Shinn has shared that he also had to make some significant changes to the way in which he operates his carwash. The first major change that happened to Los Altos Carwash would be the large but gradual cut in the size of its staff. Shinn revealed that when he first purchased the business in 2007 during the wake of the recession that he carried over the same staff that had been employed with the previous owner. However, as the economy weakened he was forced to cut his staff\u2019s work hours, which eventually lead to many individuals quitting. Currently, Los Altos has a total of seven employees, which is a huge difference when compared to its 2007 staff numbers of roughly around 25 employees.<\/p>\n