The average person will spend over 1,000 days throughout his life standing in some type of line. Anyone who has renewed a driver's license, purchased car tags, obtained a marriage certificate, erected a sign, or added a garage will most likely have tasted the bitter fruits of a system in which job security is not based on efficiency, but instead is based on multiplicity.

One such unpalatable fruit is customer service that can sometimes rival that of a cook in a prison food line. No doubt, a reluctance to jump through the perceived hoops of the "system" and a lack of accurate information are the two major reasons why more business owners don't turn to the government for assistance. This is a real shame, because often the resources allowed for some of these programs are not fully utilized. And the truth is many entrepreneurs have an exaggerated preconception of difficulty in mixing government and business.

One could argue that much of the policy churned out of Washington D.C. is anti-business. There will likely always be plenty to complain about. But, there is more than enough evidence to make a case for the other side also. Once you begin to see just how many different types of assistance are on the table, form financing to business management programs, your confidence will begin to grow.