I interviewed the most interesting NFIB member a few weeks ago. The story I was working on was about the rising cost of health care, but during the interview, I spent lots of time learning about this woman's business, the oldest commercial river touring company in the Grand Canyon. Doesn't that sound like a fun business? I immediately envisioned rafting trips and star gazing and being one with nature. Turns out Joy Staveley and her husband, Gaylord, get to do all that--but they also face the same headaches every other business owner faces--affording health insurance, retaining key employees and dealing with government regulations. If you ever daydream of a business you think might be more adventurous than yours, check out this Q&A with the owner of an Alaska tour operation on the WSJ's small-business blog. It gives some great insight on the ups and downs of seasonal businesses.

Posted by Shannon McRae on November 26, 2007 11:34 AM

When I was in high school, I worked at my parents' small business some during the summer. I filed, answered phones, drove my little brother to swim practice--you know, important stuff. My dad did let me write a few press releases, but I can't remember if he ever sent them to anyone (hopefully not). When I compare my work in a small business to what the teenagers in this StartupJournal.com story do, I'm embarrassed. These young people are doing more than helping their parents--they're running small companies themselves. Far beyond your average lemonade stand, one 15-year-old is even in negotiations to have her product sold at Wal-Mart.

The cover story of the Dec./Jan. issue of MyBusiness explores the link between your childhood and your business. Some researchers suggest that genetics play an important role in whether someone "makes it" as an entrepreneur. But like the young people in the StartupJournal.com story, the small-business owners we spoke to told us hard work and dedication give you a better chance at success than having the perfect small-business genes.

The NFIB Young Entrepreneur Foundation works to help young people cultivate their entrepreneurial skills. Through programs like Entrepreneur-in-the-Classroom and the NFIB Young Entrepreneur Awards, the YEF is doing its part to ensure that young people have the tools they need to succeed in business—regardless of their DNA.

Posted by Shannon McRae on December 4, 2006 10:30 AM

Bob Blue is staying put. Since March, the future was uncertain for his family-owned luggage shop on the posh corner of Hollywood and Vine in Hollywood, Calif.

We last spoke to Blue in the June/July 2006 issue of MyBusiness, when we featured him and other small-business owners who were caught in local eminent-domain battles. The story focused on a 2005 Supreme Court ruling that gave local governments the right to condemn and seize private property for outside private development.

Bernard Lugguage, founded by Blue's father in 1943, was targeted by some local council members who backed a neighborhood redevelopment project. Their project called for demolishing the historic building where Bernard Luggage was located to make room for high-end boutiques, restaurants and a hotel.

But thanks to Blue's determination, and help from the NFIB Legal Foundation, the city decided yesterday to include the Blue's building in the redevelopment plans.

"I am really proud of this decision and the agreement everyone was able to come to," Blue told this CBS affiliate. "I think this is a benefit, not only for Hollywood, but for all of L.A., and I think it's a plan that the rest of the state can look at as a way to do business."

Not all the surrounding business owners were as fortunate as Blue. Twenty will still be forced to relocate or shut down.

Posted by Shannon McRae on September 28, 2006 12:29 PM

Take a moment and watch "Small-Business Heroes," a five-minute documentary featuring independent business owners talking about their daily risks and sacrifices. In their own direct and unembellished words, they eloquently express why the small-business concept is a vital part of the American dream.

Posted by Jamie Roberts on September 27, 2006 05:18 PM

Last week, we pointed to a story about business owners who were struggling to survive in New Orleans a year after Hurricane Katrina's devestating blow. Today, a story in the Salt Lake Tribune highlights a different kind of survival: In the weeks following the disaster, these owners packed up their businesses and got out of New Orleans. Though some had plans to return, all of them ended up finding permanent homes for their businesses in new cities.

The panic of the early days is still fresh on their minds. "You think, this can't be happening, when you slip and fall in the grime and you're covered with who knows what, and there's no running water to wash it off with," says Christine MCAtte, owner of Adventures in Adveritising/Insignia Marketing, which is now based in The Woodlands, Texas.

Greg Mangiaracina moved his business, A-Pro Home Inspection Services, to San Antonio, Texas, and hasn't looked back. "I can't put my family through this again," he says.

Relocating wasn't easy, but facing the choice of a city without basic services and sky-high real estate costs, these business owners say they made the only choice they had.

Posted by Shannon McRae on August 28, 2006 03:25 PM

What's your first reaction when employees ask to take vacation? Admit it, doesn't a little bit of you wish they wouldn't go, leaving you and other employees to do their work? In small businesses, fluff doesn't exist. Every person is important and needed every day.

But a story in the Triangle Business Journal proves once again that time off is good for us all--business owners and employees alike. At the Raleigh, N.C.-based accounting firm Hughes Pittman & Gupton, accountants work 10 percent to 20 percent fewer billable hours than at a typical large firm. Though that might make most bean counters gasp, these owners have a different approach: Cultivating a positive work environment is good for the bottomline. With 15 to 20 percent revenue growth rate over the past few years, the numbers add up.

As we enter the last month of summer, make sure everyone in your office (including yourself) feels comfortable enough to hit the beach for a long weekend. The results will be worth it.

Posted by Shannon McRae on July 24, 2006 05:34 PM

The Land of Opportunity provides a pathway to business ownership for many immigrants, according to a Kauffman Foundation study highlighted in this American City Business Journals article. The study found that immigrants are more likely to be entrepreneurs than native-born Americans, an interesting stat to consider regardless of which side of the fence you fall on in the immigration debate.

An article in the current issue of MyBusiness profiles a business owner born in Vietnam who followed her dream of entrepreneurship when she came to the United States at the age of 17. Today, Luna Howard runs a successful salon on Capitol Hill and was even tapped by the First Family to style hair during Bush's most recent inauguration.

Posted by Shannon McRae on June 5, 2006 08:55 AM

A novelist I know says all stories worth telling have a failure to overcome. And so, when I talk to small-business owners and hear about their great successes, I often ask about their failures, too. I want to hear about a low point in their business-how they handled the experience, and what they learned from it. Almost every time I ask, I hear an inspiring tale told from the heart. As a small-business owner myself, I learn more from the conversations about failing than from hearing about the chain of fortuitous events that led to someone's success. For the April-May issue of MyBusiness Magazine, we talked with small-business owners around the country who have journeyed through failing without letting the experience label them a failure. Their stories will sound familiar. We hope it will help you realize such experiences can make your small- business story much more interesting to tell.

Posted by Rex Hammock on March 31, 2006 11:35 AM