Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
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WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM JANUARY 26, 2022 - FEBRUARY 1, 2022 UCW 17 "Prove it." One of this column's readers chal- lenged me to back up my recent as- sertion that characteristics of some Americans could be explained by our connections to certain regions of the British Isles. I was focus- ing on those who are hardnosed, sometimes rebellious, resistant to direction, suspicious of people in charge, unwilling to give up indi- vidual choice to some kind of group direction. I wrote about the ways in which our ancestors' folkways still influ- ence us and play a part in the way we act and think today, but the reader was not convinced there was a connection. My column was sparked by Joe Klein's article in e New Yorker about a 1989 book, "Albion's Seed: Four British Folkways in America," by David Hackett Fischer. Klein says the book explains how "the history of four centuries ago still shapes American culture and politics." Many of the early European set- tlers in North Carolina were what we call Scots-Irish. But they also include emigrants from Ireland and the borderlands of Scotland and England. In these areas for more than seven centuries, there was constant fighting. People had to live in the middle of conflict. No one else was going to provide order and peace. When they settled in North Carolina and adjoining regions, they brought that culture of violence and resistance to external control to their new homeland. In his book Fischer writes that these emigrants came from "a society of autonomous individuals who were unable to endure external control and incapable of restraining their rage against anyone who stood in the way." He quotes one settler woman: "We never let go of a belief once fixed in our minds." So how does Fischer prove that the descendants of the early immi- grants from the British border areas are still influenced by where their ancestors came from? He builds his case by detailing the folkways of British border areas and show- ing how they still exist in sections of America today. One of those folkways is our way of speaking, the words and phrases we use and how we frame and sound them. He has a term for the way of speaking in our backcountry. He calls it southern highland speech and shows how it is related to the border speech in Britain. He writes, "is southern high- land speech has long been very distinctive for its patterns of pro- nunciation. It says whar for where, thar for there, hard for hired, critter for creature, sartin for certain, a-goin for going, hit for it, he-it for hit, far for fire, deef for deaf, pizen for poison, nekkid for naked, eetch for itch, boosh for bush, wrassle for wrestle, chaney for china, chaw for chew, poosh for push, shet for shut, ba-it for bat, be-it for be, narrer for narrow, winder for window, widder for widow, and young-uns for young ones." Sound familiar? Once when we were living in Bristol, Tenn.-Va., deep in the Ap- palachian Mountains, my mother worried that her children would pick up the mountain dialect. As she ex- plained to one of her Atlanta friends, "Up here they say tar for an auto tire. And they say tire for the tar to pave a road." Fischer concedes that the south- ern highland speech used in Amer- ica today is not exactly the same as that spoken in Britain. But he insists that scholars agree that this lan- guage developed from the spoken language of the British border areas. It is the clear ancestor of "a distinc- tive variety of American speech which still flourishes in the southern highlands of the United States." Does this close language connec- tion prove that immigrants from the British border brought not only their special speech ways to the southern highlands, but also their hard nosed rebellious attitudes? Maybe not, but the connections are more than a little thought pro- voking. Were you thinking of selling your business in 2022? Give yourself an edge—read up on what was learned from 2021. 2021 was a year of unpredictable firsts for business owners and entrepreneurs. Nothing learned in 2020 could have prepared America for pandemic shutdowns. Many small operations had to quickly pivot, improvise and adapt to a world that changed overnight. But now, with a swiftly recovering economy and growing consumer demand, there is room (and the data) to make educated predictions about 2022. Looking at 2021 to Predict 2022 To kick things off, let's briefly revisit the business sales trends that characterized 2021. Sector- specific growth: Restaurants, retailers, tourism, events and healthcare providers saw considerable surges after reopening. Consumers were eager to get back out into the world. More businesses sold: In 2021, business owners that sold their operations found sellers more quickly than ever before. eir businesses also sold for higher prices than in recent history. E-commerce got hotter: Of course, e-commerce has been popular…but during the pandemic, when brick- and-mortar stores were closed, online shopping grew even more popular. ese were more than just trends—they were history in the making. Demand will continue to increase for small businesses. In 2021, the average price of businesses grew by almost 40%. Sellers will net more than usual if they plan their exits now. Inflation and supply chain obstacles will lessen over time. Inflation may affect profits in the short run, but supply chain issues and rising costs should dissipate. However, if the price of goods keeps increasing and businesses are squeezed, more will come up for sale. E-commerce and auto- mation will become much more common. With labor costs rising, many business owners update their operations to depend less on human employees. In short, business was good in 2021—and business will contin- ue to be good in 2022. If selling has ever crossed your mind, now is the time to think more seri- ously about your plans. What You Can (and Should) Do Now No one can tell you when to sell your business. ey can help you look at the facts and make an informed decision based on what was learned. A broker can help you stay advised with expert knowledge on the latest market trends. ey watch other sellers and buyers in your industry to help you stay up to date on changes as they occur. In the meantime, always keep running your business. Never pause operations while you search for sellers, entertain an offer, or explore other ventures. Sellers want to get what your business will earn in the future, and if your business's profitability drops before it's sold, you may have some explaining to do and could see a negative price adjustment. Business trends to look out for in 2022 by THOMAS KELSEY BUSINESS & FINANCE Photo courtesy of Thomas Kelsey THOMAS KELSEY, Transworld Business Advisors of Fayetteville. Comments? tkelsey@tworld.com D.G. MARTIN, Host of UNC's Book Watch. COMMENTS? Editor@upand- comingweekly.com. 910-484-6200. LITERATURE Why we talk this way by D.G. MARTIN