Self-Employed Magazine

July/August 2010

• From The President: Lessons Learned

  Friday, October 30, 2009

  What a year! The economy sputtered, to say the least. Credit for micro-businesses tightened like a tourniquet. Some small companies had to lay off employees. Others simply went belly-up. And still others, well, they’re thriving.

• The NASE Presents $30,000 Achievement Award To Member

  Friday, October 30, 2009

  A year ago, Maryland CPA Tiffany Washington would never have dreamed that she would be adding $30,000 to her own business’s ledgers. But thanks to the NASE’s 2009 Achievement Award, that’s exactly what she’s doing.

• Community Spirit

  Friday, October 30, 2009

  Last spring, with the recession taking a toll on the business community in the Reno, Nev., area, Clint Jolly and some colleagues decided to hold an event to raise the visibility of locally-owned independents like his meat market, Butcher Boy. The May fair drew 60 of Butcher Boy’s local vendors—many of them micro-businesses like Buckbean Brewing Company and the marketing agency Media Directions. It also drew about 1,200 consumers.

• Good Company

  Friday, October 30, 2009

  Anyone who works out of a home office knows that it can be a lonely place. At home, the trivial interactions that break up most people’s workdays—chats around the copy machine, birthday cake in the break room—are in short supply.

• Property Lease Do-Over

  Friday, October 30, 2009

  Carla, the owner of an Atlanta gift shop, knows only too well what a recession can do to the financial health of a micro-business. Earlier this year a steep sales decline made it tough for her to pay the rent.

• No More IOUs

  Friday, October 30, 2009

  When NASE Member Heather Angel Chandler started her business, Innovative Multimedia Group in San Antonio, Texas, she put $15,000 on credit cards to buy high-definition video equipment. That was in 2007. Chandler paid off the debt and now only buys equipment she can pay for with cash.

• Young Guns

  Friday, October 30, 2009

  If you’re experiencing hiring challenges, one solution might be to broaden your search to include members of Generation Y. Also called Millennials, they were born roughly between 1979 and 1988. Businesses that ignore these 20-somethings are shutting the door on a huge universe of potential employees—employees that might be a perfect fit for micro-businesses.

• Is Your Workplace A Danger Zone?

  Friday, October 30, 2009

  In June 2007, the results of a National Safety Council (NSC) injury report sent shivers up the spines of public health officials.

• NASE Member Profile: Secret Cache

  Friday, October 30, 2009

  NASE Member Kim Overton is the owner of Overton Enterprises in Austin, Texas. Her company produces and sells the SPIbelt™, www.spibelt.com.