The Alleged Backbone of the American Economy

By Eric Brownstone, CEO QuestaVolta

Are you in that all too famous and yet undervalued arena of small business owners? You know, the “backbone” of this glorious country’s economy? Running a small business today is not for the faint of heart. It takes grit, late nights, and a massive tolerance for things that simply do not make sense.

The Math Isn’t Mathing: Fuel and Insurance Hikes

I learned a few practical things in school. First, I learned that small businesses are the foundation of our communities. Second, I learned about diesel fuel. Diesel was originally developed to address high prices for larger engines that deliver the necessities across the world. Diesel has been successful because of its operating advantages, such as low maintenance costs, greater efficiency, high power output, and fuel economy.*

So, let me ask a logical question: Why am I looking at diesel fuel priced at just over $8.00 a gallon here in Los Angeles, while regular unleaded sits under $6.00? 

We produce gasoline right here in California; some estimates show 81% of our gas is produced here, yet we have the highest prices in the United States. Fun fact: Hong Kong has the highest prices in the world. Why? Because they produce absolutely zero gasoline of any kind. It is true that California significantly taxes gasoline, but why for a product we produce in state?

To put this in perspective, my mother lives on Maui. She pays nearly $2.00 less per gallon than I do. Hawaii produces almost no gasoline—in fact, about 80% (the opposite of CA) is imported across the ocean. Yet, it is cheaper there. When you look at the family ties our glorious governor has in the oil business, you have to admit the whole situation looks incredibly odd.

And it does not stop at the pump. Out of nowhere, with absolutely zero notice, my insurance, required to operate my business legally in California, shot up by 500%. Yes, you read that right. Ouch. On top of that, my personal insurance policies—from auto to health—are sitting at all-time highs. Wow. How exactly is a small business supposed to absorb these kinds of shockwaves while trying to keep prices fair for customers?

The more friends I speak to in Los Angeles, the more I hear my story echoed back to me. Costs are so high that it almost seems like they are interested in wiping out small businesses. I know, I know, that’s ridiculous, because without the backbone how does the rest of the body operate, right?

Time for a Peaceful Small Business Revolution

Honestly, I believe these daily injustices are the perfect starting point for what this country really needs right now: a peaceful revolution.

The massive companies most Americans use every day play a major role in the struggles small business owners face. They have created an ecosystem of extreme convenience, which has made it incredibly easy for us to be lazy. Instead of supporting our neighbors and helping other Americans succeed in their small business endeavors, we click a button and wait for a delivery. I will not name these massive companies directly—but you know the ones. 

My goal here is not to get into trouble. My goal is to wake our society up a bit. We need to get things running the way our great forefathers intended.

Think about this for a minute. What if every elected politician had to sign a binding agreement before stepping into office? The contract would be simple:

1. No Stock Trading: You are entitled to a retirement account, but you absolutely cannot trade individual stocks while in office, and for one year after leaving.
2. Commitment to the People: You agree to hold your office dear and actually help your specific area flourish. For the people, by the people.
3. Strict Accountability: If you violate these rules, you are banned from the political game for life.

Do not even get me started on term limits. Every single hardworking person at a small or medium-sized business would agree that career politicians need to go. Politics should be a service, not a lifelong career. The current setup violates so many principles this great country stands for.

Enter QuestaVolta and MyActingSite

Alright, that was not exactly the direction I planned to take when I sat down to write this, but it is what came out. The frustration is real. But instead of just complaining, let me tell you what I am actually doing to help small businesses win.

I run a small business in this country called QuestaVolta. We handle web hosting and web development. We also run a platform called MyActingSite.com.

Let’s start with MyActingSite. I am a card-carrying member of the Screen Actors Guild. I have not acted professionally in years, but that membership was incredibly hard to earn, so I am keeping it for life. 

Because of my background, I love actors and understand their struggles. I set out to build a platform that gives them an affordable, high-quality way to promote who they are and what they do. More importantly, it helps them protect their name online by easily registering their own domain name. We launched this before the absolute chaos of modern social media took over, and we are still going strong, almost 25 years later.

Then there is QuestaVolta, Inc. It is a trademarked web hosting company, and let me be clear: this is not your daddy’s hosting company.

We provide excellent support, with someone you can actually reach by phone. Our prices are genuinely competitive, affordable, and fully scalable. If your business takes off overnight, we grow with you at a moment’s notice, fast. Need a professional email address? We include that. Need all the other bells and whistles? We have those too. But more importantly, if we see you going down a path that will not benefit your business, we will step in and guide you in a better direction. It happens all the time.

Our team’s experience goes back to the very dawn of the internet. We know exactly what we are doing. We speak Geek, English, and Spanish fluently. Our sole mission is to do whatever it takes, whenever needed, to ensure your small- to medium-sized business is expanding successfully on the World Wide Web. We love what we do.

Protecting Your Business from the Giants

Here is a fun fact about QuestaVolta: we only use the world’s large corporations when we absolutely have to—like those mandatory insurance companies. But we absolutely refuse to host their websites. No matter how much money they offer or how hard they try to get our help, the answer is no. We will host your personal site. We will host your kid’s project site. But we draw a hard line at massive corporate monopolies.

Why? Because we actually do what the major players in the web hosting game refuse to do: we protect your customers.

When you work with us, we ensure that your customer base belongs to you, forever. You put in the sweat, tears, and cash to obtain those customers, and you deserve to keep them.

There is a massive, hidden problem in the web hosting world. Most busy small business owners simply do not have time to read the massive contracts they receive from big web hosts or developers. The massive companies out there—like the one that starts with an S and ends with a Y—prey on this exact vulnerability.

You sign their terms of service, and suddenly, they are legally allowed to use your data and your customer base for all sorts of not-in-your-best-interests manner of things. 

Then, those giant retailers take your hard-earned customer data and start pitching them products similar to yours, but at a lower cost. They undercut you using the very data you provided them. It feels like theft, but because you did not have three hours to read the fine print, it is 100% legal.

Redefining Success, Together

A peaceful small business revolution isn’t about picket signs. It’s about recognizing that we’re all in this together. It’s about small businesses supporting other small businesses, creating a community that is resilient and strong. This revolution isn’t about cutting corners or racing to the finish line. It’s about making conscious choices, choosing partners with integrity, and rejecting the corporate “profit-over-people” mindset. It’s about understanding that one small business’s success doesn’t diminish another’s; it lifts us all. Together, we can build an economy based on trust, fairness, and mutual respect. Because when we stand together, we don’t just survive—we thrive.

Let’s Support Each Other

Read your contracts. Support local. Protect what you build. And if you need a team that will actually look out for your business online, you know exactly where to find us.

*Source: Academic American Encyclopedia, and of course, Saint Anthony’s on Maui, where they taught us common sense. 🙂