We built our online and catalog business with the support of many small local and regional arts groups, and their health is essential to our ongoing success.  These are not the best of days for this kind of organization.

I was intrigued by a story on NPR’s Morning Edition today about an arts group  called  Fractured Atlas.  Fractured Atlas, a non-profit based in New York, provides much-needed support to artists and arts organizations so that they can function as more effective businesses.

We know that many valuable arts groups will not make it through these challenging economic times, and Fractured Atlas is playing a key role in helping those groups most challenged.  They offer a broad range of programs and services, including professional development, access to funding information, insurance and arts advocacy.

Our business has been built on extending credit to arts groups of all sizes, and I have never regretted those decisions.  The financial health of local theatre and dance companies, orchestras and performance venues is critical to our own success. We applaud the efforts of Fractured Atlas and others who provide this type of support.

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I really like reading the newspaper.  I subscribe to three dailies and try to read them almost every day.  There are lots of good sources to get more current news, but they don’t allow for the same pace of absorbing information that an old fashioned newspaper does.

Naturally, I am sorry to see so many newspapers in financial difficulty and regret that some good papers will not survive our current economic troubles.

I can’t argue with the supposition that one of the greatest problems for newspapers is the loss of classified advertising and that the primary source of this lost revenue is Craig’s List.

I use Craig’s List almost every day and there is no better way to track down local resources, whether you are buying, hiring or trying to sell something.

Even though I see Craig’s List as a real problem for the papers I love to read, I still have great admiration for its founder, Craig Newmark.

The owner of this multi-million dollar enterprise (some say multi-billion) uses this job description for himself: Customer service representative and community organizer.

Rather than settling into the corner office and surrounding himself with lots of manager, Newmark stays right in front of his customers.

His simple business philosophy: Treat people like you want to be treated.

It’s easy to see how Craig’s List has stolen the classified ad business from newspapers, but a lot more difficult to see why Mr. Newmark chooses to define his role in the company as one of customer service.

Newmark is quick to admit that others are better suited to manage his company and that he is much more comfortable (and valuable) with serving in a capacity that he understands, enjoys and which defines the core of his company.

Lots of business owners could learn something from Craig Newmark.

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