07/12/2004
With 30 years of small-business experience -- first as an employee, then as a co-owner -- to her credit, June Lennon has long recognized the value of small business to both the American economy and local communities. It was a trip to Washington, D.C., for NFIB's 50-year gala celebration, however, that turned her into an activist.
"For 10 years, I was just a member [of NFIB], but then I went to Washington and I heard Jack Faris speak and it really registered with me," Lennon says. "I saw firsthand the difference it made to see NFIB in action, not just on paper." She's been a small-business crusader ever since.
Lennon, a CPA and co-owner of Martin & Lennon, CPAs, PA, came to small business while still a college student majoring in accounting. The original owner was one of her professors, who offered public accounting services on the side. She joined the company as a full-time employee -- its only employee -- upon her graduation in 1976 and later became a 50 percent partner.
Lennon joined NFIB in 1982 at the behest of one of her clients.
"He called and told me he had an NFIB sales representative in his office, he was sending him over, and I was to join. I said, 'Yes, sir!' " she laughs. She notes that the organization was a natural fit; NFIB, like Lennon, advocated a limited government and greater freedoms for small business.
Soon after attending NFIB's 1993 gala in Washington, Lennon joined the Leadership Council and became a vocal proponent of NFIB's efforts. She now makes an effort to attend all meetings in South Carolina and Washington, including the White House Conference on Small Business and NFIB's National Small Business Summits. She also has been active on the SAFE Trust, the National Tax Advisory Council and the President's Economic Forum 2002, which gave her an opportunity to speak before the president.
Lennon also has testified on legislation, actively promoted NFIB's Small Business Works for America campaign, gathered the most signatures in the country in support of NFIB's drive to abolish the tax code, and helped spearhead an effort to take NFIB straight to small businesses so they could get a closer look at the organization and how it benefits small business.
As an accountant, Lennon says tax simplification is her top regulatory priority.
"I'm a big proponent of a consumption tax instead of the current code," she says. "I'm not one who thinks a complex tax code is the key to my continuing business. I can be more effective consulting with my small-business clients on how to plan for their businesses, not just filling out complicated government forms."
Lennon notes that her business has expanded and adapted to clients' needs over the years, being an early adopter of technological advances and an advisor to clients on everything from taxes to financial statements to small-business planning.
"I love my clients, and I love watching them grow and mature," she says. "I also enjoy being my own boss -- even though my clients are really my boss. I've never really worked for someone else, and I love the opportunities associated with being a business owner."
Lennon says she also loves her work on behalf of NFIB.
"I've also been very involved with the Chamber of Commerce over the years, but when time became an issue for me, I thought, 'What's important?' It's NFIB, and that's where I've focused all my energy ever since," she says. "I have not regretted that decision."
Lennon adds, "NFIB makes it easy to be an activist -- it has the foundation laid, it has the contacts, it has the power, it has the recognition. All you have to do is show up."
