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From The President: Lessons Learned
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.
That’s right. Many micro-businesses are growing despite all of the bad news. These successful business owners learned the lessons from the economic downturn and used them to their advantage. You can too. And this issue of Self-Employed will help.
For example, take the NASE Members in our cover article on Page 16. In very different ways, the past year taught them valuable lessons about how to control debt in their micro-businesses. Their stories could help you make smart choices the next time you confront spending decisions.
Or take NASE Member Tiffany Washington. Her accounting firm was just 1 year old when she received an NASE Business Development Grant last year. Tiffany learned ways to use her $3,000 NASE grant to quadruple her income. Because she allocated those funds so wisely, the NASE presented Tiffany with a $30,000 Achievement Award this year. You can read her story on Page 8.
On Page 10, you can read about buy-local marketing campaigns. Many independent businesses learned that these efforts were a low-cost and successful way to market their businesses. Getting involved with a buy-local campaign might be right for your micro-business, too.
Micro-business owners who successfully weathered the last couple of years learned not to be shy about reaching for lifelines to help them. And as surprising as it might seem, the federal government can offer a hand to many Main Street businesses. Read our article on Page 26 to find out about programs that might help you.
I learned a good lesson this year too: Micro-business owners don’t quit. They learn ways to succeed no matter what obstacles appear in their paths. I’m proud that the NASE played a part in that success this year.
Sincerely,
Robert Hughes