Credit unions and small business: their underdog story
by: Austin Rigby
Near the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art stands an iconic symbol, a statue, for Americans. This statue represents a man who would get hit over and over; sometimes he would fall, but ALWAYS he would get up and keep on fighting. That man was Rocky.
Rocky is just one of the many underdog stories we love here in America. We want the little guy to win. We want him to overcome the big forces that seem to have all the money and resources to do whatever they want. The little guy has to be thrifty, cunning, and come up with a unique plan so he can win in the end. The underdog’s secret and x-factor is heart. They simply want it more!
The underdog is ingrained into our blood as Americans. Just look back at how we started as a nation. To win our independence, America had to go up against the number one power in the world. England was such a powerful country, that it was said, “the Sun never sets on the British Empire”. Looking at the resources the Americans had in comparison to the British, we should have had no shot in winning our independence. What was the secret to our success? It was our x-factor, we wanted it more!
It seems like today’s underdog attention focus is on sports and movies, and we seem to forget about the real-life, day-to-day underdog battles that are happening all around us; those of the small business. Within the last few decades, the buying and consumption of objects are unique. No longer are we going to markets and vendors to buy our food, instead we go to places such as, Acme, Shoprite, or a Costco. If we need household supplies, we go to Target or Wal-Mart. All of our spending takes place at “Big Box” stores. Small businesses may not have all the fancy commercials or advertising that large businesses have, but they do have quality products.
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