Jerry Akers, shown here at one of his Great Clips locations, is doing his best to give his employees shorter shifts and a more flexible schedule
DES MOINES, IOWA (November 21, 2023) — The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) is reminding Iowans that this Saturday, November 25, is Small Business Saturday. Small Business Saturday started as a campaign to help small businesses gain exposure and inspire consumers to shop within their own communities during the holiday season. The day became official in 2011 when Washinton State’s mayors and state legislature and President Obama shared their support for Small Business Day.
However, since its inception, small business has changed. The pandemic brought shutdowns, mandates, staffing headaches, and closed a lot of mom-and-pop shops. There are new expectations from employees and customers, and small-business owners are adapting and figuring out new ways to stay in business.
"There are new expectations from the people I'm interviewing. They want shorter shifts, a more flexible schedule, and the ability to always have technology at their fingertips. Frankly, they'd love to work from home all the time but that's not an option I can offer. Young people don't understand the benefit of benefits. They're more focused on pay and flexibility, and I'm trying to take that into account and hire more part-time people to work those coveted five-hour shifts. It's a challenge because I'm open longer and need enough staff to cover those hours," said Jerry Akers, owner of The Joint Chiropractic, with locations in Eastern and Central Iowa and Lincoln, Nebraska. "It's a different workforce with different expectations and I don't think that's going away. Things will never go back to the way they were before COVID."
“The pandemic forced small-business owners to adapt in so many different ways that it’s nearly impossible to go back to the way things were before we knew that an infectious disease by the name of COVID would change the way we live,” said Matt Everson, NFIB State Director in Iowa. “Nearly half of Iowa small-business owners have open positions they can’t fill because they can’t find qualified employees. Those that do have good employees are worried they might not be able to keep them. And there’s a new expectation from prospective and current employees. That’s forced small-business owners to get creative, not only to attract and keep their employees, but their customers as well. Small Business Saturday is a great holiday, but Iowans should support their community mom and pop shops every day of the year."
Background on Jerry Akers:
When it comes to owning and operating franchises, Jerry is a national model of success — a lifetime entrepreneur with forty years of business experience opening two different franchise models, chair of the International Franchise Association, and mentor to not only his children, who now run one of the franchise stores, but a host of other young entrepreneurs eager to follow in his footsteps.
However, the challenges, roadblocks, and damages from the COVID-19 pandemic were so severe and long-lasting, it changed how small business operates. From employee expectations to hiring practices to Small Business Saturday, Jerry says many small businesses that couldn’t or refused to keep up are out of business.
Two decades ago, Jerry opened his first Great Clips location. Great Clips may be the biggest hair-salon chain in the country, but each of the more than 4,000 locations are locally-owned and -operated, members of their community who hire locals, buy supplies locally, and support their community schools and sports teams.
Two years ago, Jerry expanded into chiropractic franchising. He opened his first store, The Joint Chiropractic, in Cedar Falls, then expanded his reach by adding four more locations in Des Moines and Lincoln, Nebraska. Jerry chose The Joint in part because selling personal services is a pretty safe business model. According to Jerry, giant companies like Amazon can never compete — it’s impossible for them to offer hands on customer service the way he can.
The Joint specializes in fast, no-frills chiropractic care. They don’t take appointments or health insurance and you can’t make an appointment. Instead, customers buy packages or monthly memberships and “drop in” and are seen almost immediately.
The idea is that everyone should be able to afford chiropractic care — even if they don’t have insurance. In fact, even if you do have health insurance, an adjustment at The Joint is often less than you’d fork out for the deductible you’d pay at a doctor’s office.
Jerry says growth has been slower than expected but is encouraged with what he’s seen in the past two years. His biggest post-pandemic challenge is the shift of demands from prospective employees.
That’s not all bad, and in some cases, it’s beneficial, especially for Jerry’s customers. This year, Jerry is offering a “Back Friday” special that’s not just a one-day deal. From now until the end of the month, you can buy discounted chiropractic-adjustment packages. A six-pack will get you one free adjustment, a ten-visit package will get you two free visits, and if you buy a twenty-pack, you get four for free.
“Small Business Saturday has morphed into Small Business Week or Small Business Month. It’s better for everyone — it saves me the headache of processing a large volume of packages in one day and it gives my customers the ability to avoid fighting large crowds and getting burned out trying to fit all their shopping into a few hours. I want as many people as possible to benefit, not just the ones who can make it into our store on Small Business Saturday.”
To find out what Small Business Saturday deals Jerry’s daughters are offering at their Great Clips locations, click here. You’ll also find an update on how Great Clips is doing after forced closures during COVID-19 and Jerry answers the question “are small businesses better off after the pandemic?”
For eighty years, NFIB has been advocating on behalf of America’s small and independent business owners, both in Washington DC and in all fifty state capitals. NFIB is non-profit, non-partisan, and member-driven. Since our founding in 1943, NFIB has been exclusively dedicated to small and independent businesses, and remains so today. For more information, please visit nfib.com.
