I deserve a Ferrari

Hello, My name is Mike and I am a small business owner. I employ several hard working and dedicated full time employees. I provide them with health care benefits, 401Ks and proper living wages.

We all work very hard to manufacture great American made goods in a global economy, and frankly, China is killing my business.  Each time we start making headway, the Asian market clones my products and undercuts my prices. There is nothing I can do to stop the insane practice, since the American workers no longer seem to care about purchasing higher quality American made goods, when the Asian imports are so much cheaper.

It's truly disheartening.

Small business owners have everything on the line in their business and if it fails, They will lose the house, the car... everything they have ever worked for.  In essence, they are  all-in.  It's all on the line.

What I am asking for here is awareness.  A lot of it. No seriously... a WHOLE lot of it.  I want people to think hard before they buy imported goods.  When a consumer purchases a counterfeit import, that consumer is turning his or her back on the rest of the American work force.  Times are hard and money is tight, for sure, but we brought this on ourselves.  Buying authentic American Products helps to keep the American dream alive in this country.

When I was young, I was told by my elders about the American Dream... that if a person works hard and follows their dreams there will be a big reward at the end of the journey. All I can see in my immediate future is more hard work, more employees wondering if we can survive the onslaught of imported goods, and fear of failure.

I will never be able to truly live the American dream as long as we live in a world where people think only of the bottom line of price and are more willing to purchase unreliable imports than to invest in items of enduring value.

As I stand at the precipice of failure, it hit me... like a ton of imported bricks... people love spending money on imported goods.  For me, the Ferrari F430 Spyder is one heck of a sweet bit of imported goods... and you like spending money on imports, right? 

Yes, I am actually asking you to donate a couple of bucks towards the purchase of the ultimate import, which I will never be able to afford. The reality is that I have spent 10 times that amount of money keeping my local workforce employed, instead of being selfish, and thinking only of myself.  With all the money you saved by not buying American goods, you should be able to afford a few dollars towards helping out an American Manufacturer that employs people that need jobs. 

I do realize that this won't solve world hunger, and it's not going to stop the influx of imported goods.  But I would be most grateful to see even a sign of empathy from the other American workers of this country. Your employers are losing sleep trying to figure out how to make ends meet so you can remain employed.

I could have purchased this fine automobile myself with the money I have invested in my business just to keep the doors open, so my truly dedicated staff has a place to earn a living. I decided their jobs were FAR more important than owning an amazing work of automobile artistry.   It was an easy choice to make, and I have no regrets having made that choice.

But seriously... look at it... red... and black... and positively lovely from every possible angle... This is what I gave up to be an employer.  That Ferarri would have been mine if I had been selfish and uncaring . It really could have been mine.

If you're reading this, and you work for a small business, take a minute and think about what  youremployer has at risk to be able to provide a place for you to earn an income.  Think about when times are lean... about the stress your employer must endure, just to keep you employed. Sleepless nights... awkward conversations with banks.

Yeah, I really want that car. And if you fund it, I will absolutely buy it with the money.  But I would never spend my cash reserves on something this frivolous, I have employees that are counting on me to be fiscally responsible.  Unless you fund it, I will never have it.

Maybe I deserve it, maybe I don't. Who is to say?

I sure would enjoy it though.  Not gonna lie about that.

 
UPDATE: 12/3/2015

Progress is slow.  It's OK though. The campaign has been shared a lot. I have received many messages supporting my quest, and a few donations.  Both of these are welcome.

I have also been contacted by people that are angry... calling me a hypocrite for wanting to by an "imported" car instead of a corvette.  I'll just have to say that these people don't get it... a Ferrari isn't a "clone" of anybody elses original design. It's a work of art in and of itself.

Keep on sharing this, it makes me smile.

UPDATE: 12/05/2015

Two days, and at 75 dollars... The haters are hating, the supporters are supporting. The messages to my Facebook PMs from those that understand the point of the campaign are very encouraging. The anger in others also means people are thinking, even if they don't get it!

UPDATE: Almost half way to a MILESTONE!

This is AWESOME!  The first milestone is at $500 dollars, and we're just shy of halfway there!