03/21/2002
Joe Balsarotti was shocked when he learned how few people actually took the time to contact their lawmakers about pending legislation. To the Clayton, Mo.-small-business owner, making your voice heard is the only way to keep the government from implementing more regulations and raising taxes.
"I attended a meeting where a legislator told the group that his office considered it a major event to get just ten phone calls or letters about a certain bill or proposal," Balsarotti said. "It seemed unreal to me that so few people would make their voice heard. I knew then that I could have an impact."
Working with NFIB, Balsarotti has fought mandates and taxes he thinks are unfair to small businesses. Instead of spending his time trying to comply with new rules, Balsarotti knows his time is better spent growing his technology-provider business which sells, installs and services computers and computer software.
"I am tired of huge amounts of paperwork and the endless labyrinths of rules, regulations and bureaucracy which make serving customers secondary to jumping through government hoops," he says.
His efforts have paid off and brought him national media attention as well. During the battle against the Clinton health-care proposal, Balsarotti was interviewed by NBC Nightly News.
Quick facts
- Name: Software To Go, www.software-to-go.com
- Location: Clayton, Mo.
- Founded: 1983
- Number of employees: 3
What services does your business provide?
We are a full-service technology provider. We sell, install, service, maintain and upgrade name-brand computers and networks in additional to selling software for businesses, educational institutions and government agencies. In addition, Software To Go offers consulting services for computers, networks and automation of businesses.
Do you employ family members? How many?
While I don't have any family members working with me, just like most small business, my wife occasionally helps out when I just cannot get it all done.
How did you get into the business?
After I turned 16, I was offered at job the local computer store where my parents had purchased my original Apple II after I bugged them for almost three years. Two years later, while still in high school, I was installing the first computers in many of the area schools. During my senior year of high school, I worked a full 40-hour week in addition to school.
What are a few things that have changed since you started your business?
The industry has changed so much since we started Software To Go. Our business has had to change right along with it, and now more than half of our revenue comes from consulting, installation, maintenance and repair. I remember the first hard drives we sold had as much memory as the handheld devices we sell today! While the average computer has more processing power, storage and memory than the onboard computers of the Apollo spacecraft, the price of computers has fallen drastically. The deflation of prices in computers has proven to be quite a challenge since we have to sell about 10 percent more each year, just to make the same profit, adding another dimension to what we have to deal with in our business.
Why did you join NFIB?
I saw ridiculous rules and regulations, endless paperwork, taxes and fees which were taking too much of the time I should have been spending building my business and future. I saw NFIB as an effective way to get involved and make a difference for all small businesses.
How did you become involved in NFIB grassroots activism?
I attended a meeting where a legislator told the group that his office considered it a major event to get just ten phone calls or letters about a certain bill or proposal. It seemed unreal to me that so few people would make their voice heard. I knew then that I could have an impact.
What have you done through NFIB to help the cause of small business?
I was interviewed on NBC Nightly News during the Clinton Health Care fiasco about what effects the proposals would have on a business like mine. I also have recorded radio spots for pro-business candidates, written letters to newspaper editors and walked into legislators' offices to express both positive and negative views on what my elected officials are doing to small businesses and my livelihood. I currently serve as the Chairman of the NFIB/Missouri's Leadership Council and am also a member of the Leadership Trust. In addition, I helped align NFIB and ASCII (the largest group of Independent Computer Resellers in the nation) so that ASCII members could easily become NFIB members in what I believe, is the first program of its kind for NFIB.
What are your top legislative concerns on the state and federal levels?
At the state level, I am worried that during this time of little to no inflation, taxes and fees continue to rise with no additional benefits to citizens. At the federal level, I am tired of huge amounts of paperwork and the endless labyrinths of rules, regulations and bureaucracy that make serving customers secondary to jumping through government hoops.
Why do you like being a small-business owner?
The vast majority of my customers are small businesses also; and I enjoy being able to help streamline someone's operations so that they can grow their company or at least, have more time for something else than work. It's amazing how much new software or even a color laser printer can change the whole dynamic of a business. I have customers all over the country. Some even fly us in to fix problems or improve their computer systems. My entire staff takes great pride in the trust and confidence that these customers show in us and our abilities. When I hear from a customer year after year -- some have been with us since we started -- I know we are doing a good job and our customers appreciate our efforts. That's a great reward in my book.
