Never alone! Small enterprises will save the country

Sala Andrea  in Ville Ponti cannot accommodate everybody. In a few minutes also the upper floor was full. The “small entrepreneurs” are many, determined, and they are a real force, maybe the only one that helps our country to defend itself from the ailing economy.

The extraordinary 2012 Confartigianato Provincial Congress, which was held on Sunday, 14^th October, was an important event for many reasons, first of all because the crisis is an “opportunity”. New challenges, new trends to face for small and medium enterprises and only one big certainty: “Never alone!”

At the round table there were Mauro Colombo, Varese Confartigianato Enterprises general manager, Giorgio Merletti, Varese Confartigianato and Lombardy Confartigianato manager, Confartigianato Enterprises substitute vice-president, Paolo Preti, Bocconi professor, Cesare Fumagalli, Confartigianato Enterprises general secretary and Gianfranco Fabi, Sole 24 Ore journalist.

“What are the levers that can bring trust?” asked Colombo beginning the discussion.  “There are two possible courses of action: intervene where we have expenses and debts, possibly even displeasing someone, or stalling hoping that things will change over time. What is certain that there is a real need to study a serious and real strategy that starts first of all from a major transparency with the banks and the institutes.”

“But the winning weapons,” continued Colombo, “are creativity and innovation, the capacity to adapt to changes, knowledge and experience.” Weapons that, however, not everyone is able to use. And it is here that comes into play “representation” that is no longer political but first of all business. “The new concept of representation is that of lobbying but also to listen to and reward the work of the group.”

Never before at this time for Confartigianato is the message of Adam Smith true, explains by Paul Priest: "For Smith, prudence is the most useful virtue for the individual but humanity, justice, generosity, and public spirit are the qualities that are more useful to others. A market economy, to be successful, requires different values ​​that include mutual confidence and trust in others."

"The country can change if everyone does their part,” added Giorgio Lace, “at every level. In this wilderness that surrounds us, without politicians and institutions to act as a reference, there is no communication. So the only solution is the collaboration between companies, you have to go to competing, or run together.”

And how can you return to holding dialogues and competing? Returns, once again in the game "representation" which is made up of all souls: "There are values that are non-negotiable,” ​​concludes Merletti, “they are the person, family, business. And our territory at the center. If we do not lose sight of these principles, objectives, overcoming the crisis and fueling the growth of the company, will not be so unattainable. "