Local NFIB Member: Glenn Robbins of North Carolina

Date: March 16, 2015

President and owner of Acroprint Glenn Robbins shares the origin story of his business and what he's dealing with this year.

How did you become a small business owner and why?

My father started Acroprint in 1969. He saw that new
independent time recorder and office machine dealers needed a low-cost,
high-quality time recorder to compete against the expensive factory branch
offices that then dominated the market. I was in college at the time and when I
graduated in 1973, I joined him.

What does being a small
business owner allow you to do that most others don’t get to enjoy?

As a small business owner, I enjoy going to work. I enjoy
interacting with my staff and the customers. We have a relaxed family
atmosphere at Acroprint. I enjoy solving problems like what new products to
produce, what strategy we will take to land a new customer and how can we improve
the customer’s experience.

What are the biggest
challenges that you are facing as a small business owner?

One of the biggest challenges we are dealing with is the
Affordable Care Act. This one law has put a cloud of uncertainty over us and
our customers (which are other small business owners). This law has so many
hidden regulations that can severely impact a company’s financial stability.
The ACA, and a host of new regulations that the Department of Labor continues
to release, keeps business owners from having the confidence to invest in new
equipment and add new employees.

What are you doing to
deal with them?

To overcome these challenges we try to stay current with the
law. We try to educate our prospective customers that investing in a time and
attendance solution will save them money and help them be in compliance with
the ACA. We also try to communicate with our elected politicians either
directly or through other means, like through NFIB, on how these laws
negatively affect our business.

What makes North
Carolina a good place to do business?

North Carolina is a great place to do business because our
legislature is cutting taxes, investing in education and trying to undo the
regulations put in place by decades of Democratic rule. North Carolina also has
a number of great universities that attracts high tech and medical related
industries. Fortunately, North Carolina does not have as many negative rules
and regulations like many northern cities and states. Our beautiful beaches and
mountains and standard of living also attract highly educated employees.

What do you like to do
off the clock?

I like go to the beach, play with my new grandson, have big
family meals, go to Wolfpack football games, watch college basketball games as
well as professional football games and watch action movies.  

Subscribe For Free News And Tips

Enter your email to get FREE small business insights. Learn more

Get to know NFIB

NFIB is a member-driven organization advocating on behalf of small and independent businesses nationwide.

Learn More

Or call us today
1-800-634-2669

© 2001 - 2024 National Federation of Independent Business. All Rights Reserved. Terms and Conditions | Privacy