12/09/2003
It took Rochelle Balch more than two decades to realize she was an entrepreneur at heart. A computer technician by trade, she was content in the corporate world."Over the years, people told me I should start my own business, but I thought, 'Why would anyone want to do that?' " she says.
Then, in 1993, Balch lost her job. A single parent with bills to pay, she decided to give business ownership a second thought. She relocated to Arizona from California, leaving 25 years' worth of contacts behind, and soon was at the helm of her own computer support company, RB Balch & Associates, Inc.
Ten years later, RB Balch has eight employees (including three family members), hundreds of clients and a thriving business -- and Balch can't imagine doing anything else. But it hasn't been easy.
In 1999-2000, programming work -- which constituted nearly all of Balch's business -- headed overseas en masse. Balch responded by completely reconfiguring her business to offer PC tech support, which requires a different type of employee, as well as more intensive management.
"I update my business plan and my budget regularly. If my projections are off for two months I call it a trend and I react," she explains. "A lot of companies like mine didn't survive because they were in denial -- they were hung up on a single product. You have to adapt to what the market demands, not what you want."
NFIB helps by keeping her informed about legislative trends and business issues important to her, she says. Health care is her "hot button issue" because providing benefits is a big expense, especially for a small business that has older employees and is in an industry notorious for high turnover. She supports NFIB's effort to establish an associated health plan, which would help small businesses get the kind of rates large corporations do.
"I start people out hourly so I don't have to pay for benefits," Balch notes. She adds, however, that offering health care (as well as perks like tropical cruises) is an important investment because it builds loyalty, and her business. "I'll cut my salary and I won't take my bonus if that's what I need to do. I have to invest in my business."
Being active politically is another form of investment, Balch says, because it helps shape the business environment. Through NFIB, she has testified on legislation, written letters to Congress and met with elected officials. And in 2000 she attended NFIB's conference on small business in Washington, D.C.
"I would never go back [to the corporate world]," Balch says. "I like being responsible for my own destiny."
Name: Rochelle Balch
Business name: RB Balch & Associates, Inc. (www.rochellebalch.com)
Location: Glendale, Ariz.
