Umph scrambling because the ongoing scrambling, because the ongoing labor shortage and the supply chain crisis, but instead of listening to small business concerns, President Biden was busy rubbing elbows with Americas largest corporations. Yesterday want to hear about the challenges facing small businesses. The small businesses are so important to our communities. They dont have the same leverage, as many of you do Steve here. To weigh in are two actual small business owners owner of twenty four e furniture company joiner in Savannah, Georgia and owner of Ashleys, famous cookies and single mother of three joins from from Birmingham Good Morning to both of you good Morning,

Steve Ashley lets start with you. Why are they Ashley famous cookies? They are Ashley Manys famous cookies, because they are soft, big and amazing, and last for a long time, once you have Ashley Cookie, you wont have another cookie, Steve, Lookinglook Delicious. The problem is to make those cookies. You have all sorts of obstacles in your way with regards to the supply chain and prices dont you yes most. Definitely we are a gourmet company. Everything we use are premium ingredients and the prices have skyrocketed tremendously, especially in the last few months. We are looking at things doubling in price and some things just arent the shelves anymore, its been really rough Steve. I mentioned this a minute ago. I was picking up something for my wife yesterday, a little pint of heavy cream used to be two point. Fifty was five dollars yesterday and I had to go

to two dinner stores. Last time we talked to you, your customers, at the Unrine in temperature store had to wait at least six month to get their stuff is anything any better because Joe Biden said about a month ago, its all hands on deck. If we can do anything, I just want to ask Uncle Joe to just not give us any more help not give us any more help. Just stop im. Luckier than most I came from a great state kept us open. The entrepreneurial spirit is going to keep us open. American people can help by buy local, spend your money with local businesses that know your name and will know your face. This is how we can pull ourselves out of this. We dont need any more help from Uncle Joe Steve when you were with us last time. Ruel, you were talking about how you were actually giving customers their money back, because it was taking way too long.

You are sitting in Savannah and Savannah has got a great port and apparently thats really busy. Now isnt it absolutely once again our leadership in Savannah. We just got mega rail online. It increased our productivity by thirty percent to forty percent our times that we had ships that were offshore have been cut in half, so I think we have maybe fifteen boats that are offshore right now, where L dot A has, you know over one hundred, Steve, okay Ashley in addition to the costs Ashley, in addition to the costs of the ingredients hard to find people to work. Yes, for Opportunitily im, a family based business im using help of family members, how will we expand going further without staff? We see a lot of small businesses down here, closing their doors

due to short staffing, yeah, its very stressful, Steve Ashley. Yesterday, the president had virtual and in person meeting with these big shots ceos from big companies if Joe Biden were watching right now. What would you tell the President of the United States about the troubles your business is having right now? I would tell the president that I think it would be amazing if small businesses could have some kind of support or safety net to help us constantly stay love the line, the profit margin, I feel like we get the short end of the stick on costs due to us being smaller businesses. It would be nice if there was a way that we could protect ourselves, which also protects the consumer. Steve, okay will ruel. What would you say to the President Steve everything this guy does has been counter intuitive to what helps small business? We need him to stop helping. You know. I was happy to hear

that he at least met with Etsy yesterday, which is a website of makers but meeting with CVS and other large businesses. How is that going to help small business? How does that help us? So we will have to do this ourselves: shop, local shop, small businesses, shop with people that know you Steve. If anybody would like to shop at Ruels Store, the website is twenty four east style, dot com and Ashley Brown order, her cookies at Ashleys, famous cookies dot com and Ashley Ashley im about to order some will laughter. Thank you. So much Steve. I have a feeling. Half the country is about to order some cookies from you Ashley. I dont know about dining room.