A former SME operator has taken to the streets with a lyrical smack-down to raise awareness of “small business blues”.
Although he might not be the first former business owner to take a stab at music, Peter Strong, executive director of the Council of Small Business of Australia (COSBOA), has recorded a hip-hop track to raise awareness of the plights of SMEs, News Ltd reported.
COSBOA seek to foster awareness of small businesses in Australia to the public and government officials, as well as the media and larger enterprises, advocating interest in the development and strengthening of SMEs in Australia.
Strong’s track, Red Tape Nation, sees the former book store owner calling out big business such as Coles, Woolworths and Westfield for making life harder for small business operators, as well as highlighting the problems with Government policy.
“I lodge my BAS and pay the GST. I pay the staff and do PAYG,” Strong raps. “I lodge online and store my records in the clouds, I curse compliance and the government out loud. F--- you!”
“Owning this place is no good for my health, thanks to the rules of the Commonwealth,” he added.
The rap also details the difficulty in getting loans for SMEs, and their position at the bottom of the collection process, which Strong refers to as “One big scam".
Although somewhat humorous, the track does bring to light the issues surrounding Australia’s SMEs. Strong describes owning a small business as “trying to help this country’s economic foundation, only to be knocked down by the Red Tape Nation”.
Strong stated he had received very little negativity for the track. "I'd love it to go viral. If I'm going to lose my job ... no, I'm not going to lose my job, but it would be nice to go viral,” he stated.
