Writers' Guidelines

Small business today is no longer merely a job or a business, but a movement, a cause, an adventure, a lifestyle. MyBusiness is a guide to survival and success in this new small-business economy. We seek to highlight and celebrate the people and ideas making this movement a reality. That’s why the experiences of real small-business owners are essential to every story.

Our readers

MyBusiness is sent bimonthly to members of the National Federation of Independent Business. These small-business owners range from at-home sole proprietors to heads of companies with up to 500 employees. Our research shows our readers’ companies average an annual sales volume of $454,100, and a mean number of 19 employees. Yet success for MyBusiness readers is not measured merely in year-to-year revenue growth, but also with such radical measures as year-to-year personal growth, health and happiness.

Review our editorial calendar for more details.

What we want

Cover stories are usually staff-written, but the following sections are open to freelance pitches:

Upfront is a section of short (200-600 words) stories offering insight into and ideas of the new small-business economy. Each issue, we will include some of the following departments: Idea network, management, human resources, legal, financial, lifestyle, travel, auto, technology.

MyBusiness Manual is an in-depth exploration of key issues affecting small business. See the editorial calendar for the topic for each issue. This section is made up of 6-12 stories, varying from 300-800 words.

MyAdvice is a first-person column written by a small-business owner on the topic of their choice. We are looking for writers with personality, who can inject some voice (possibly humor) into a 500-word column. We do not pay for these submissions, but feature a credit line with the author’s business name and Web site.

Uncommon Enterprise celebrates businesses you never knew existed. We’re looking for very unusual concepts. After hearing about an Uncommon Enterprise, our editors want to say, “Wow, I had no idea you could start a business doing that.”

Submission policies

Please read this section carefully before submitting an idea.

• Rather than unsolicited articles, we prefer to hear story ideas. It is strongly encouraged that writers check several recent issues of MyBusiness to find if their proposal is suitable. The most successful queries are tightly focused and contain unique information about the small-business experience.
• Send proposals in writing to Editorial Department c/o MyBusiness magazine, 3322 West End Ave., Ste. 700, Nashville, TN 37203, or e-mail to feedback@mybusinessmag.com. Include your resume and two to four clips, preferably business-related.
• Because of the large number of inquiries we receive, we accept written queries only. You can send your query by e-mail or regular mail. No phone calls please. We will contact you if your pitch is a fit.
• Deadlines are usually 90 days before publication. Copy should be submitted as an e-mail or a Microsoft Word enclosure. We pay upon acceptance. Our rates vary and are not discussed until we agree to accept an article query for publication.

Writing standards

Keep these key points in mind as you write for MyBusiness: We’re here to help small-business owners by giving them a range of how-to pieces that evaluate, analyze and lead to solutions.

We expect writers to double-check their facts and be able to vouch for every phone number, Web address and name spelling in a story. We also request a list of sources with contact phone numbers, for fact-checking purposes.

We follow The Associated Press style in most cases, with a few exceptions. Please, only a single space after periods.