09/01/2004
"I'm a risk-taker," says Lori Daniels, explaining her decision to leave a comfortable job in the banking industry for the uncertain world of self-employment. "It's a lot of work. You have to be a jack-of-all-trades; you wear a lot of hats. But I get bored when things stay the same."
As an independent agent for State Farm Insurance Co. for the last 24 years, Daniels hasn't had much time to get bored.
For 10 of those years, she had the added challenge of balancing her business with her responsibilities as a state lawmaker. She served eight years as a state representative, including four years as the House majority leader and two years as a senator.
Now that she's back in the private sector, her political activism often gets channeled through NFIB.
"I belonged to NFIB many years ago, and I got even more familiar with the work they were doing during my years in the Arizona legislature," she says. Currently she serves on the NFIB/Arizona Leadership Council, and she periodically gives testimony on legislation and helps NFIB identify small-business-friendly candidates to endorse.
Daniels' top legislative issue is establishing fair and equitable taxation, whereby small business isn't saddled with an inordinate portion of the tax burden. "Arizona is among the top five states in business property tax," she notes.
Also on her hot-button list are reducing regulatory impact on small business and putting a stop to frivolous lawsuits.
Daniels explains that she approaches politics in much the same way that she approaches her business: by setting her sights on specific goals.
"When I set goals, they may be lofty," she says. "I don't worry if I don't meet a particularly ambitious goal; I just work harder and continue to strive for it."
She derives satisfaction from every accomplishment, no matter how small, and she lets that satisfaction fuel her momentum, even in the face of potentially daunting challenges.
"Every time I make a sale it's encouraging, and every time I help pass legislation it's encouraging," Daniels says.
Being a small-business owner offers incomparable challenges and rewards, she notes.
"I thought for sure I wouldn't make it the first five years," Daniels says. Nearly three decades later, she has three staff members and a wealth of experience. "I want to be a small-business owner because I do like the challenges -- and, as hard as I work, I reap the benefits."
