10/14/2005
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"I've been very proud of NFIB... --NFIB/California Member Steve Caughran |
Not long after Steve Caughran completed his degree in civil engineering, he knew the life of an engineer wasn't for him.
Caughran wanted to create a lifestyle, not just a career, so he set about researching business opportunities, armed with a list of criteria the right prospect should meet.
"I wanted something that would allow me to cultivate relationships, which meant something that would bring customers back repeatedly. I wanted something that was tech-savvy and with the times. I also wanted to have a mentor," he explains. Opening a franchise of the international design, copy, printing and mailing company AlphaGraphics would give him all of those things, he discovered, so in 1999 he established his own Clovis-based outpost.
Today Caughran has 12 full-time employees. In addition to AlphaGraphics, he owns and operates two Quiznos franchises in Bakersfield.
With three small businesses to his name, Caughran is no stranger to the challenges of business ownership, so when an NFIB sales representative called on him in 2002, he joined on the spot.
"I was thrilled to discover someone doing something on my behalf," he says, explaining his immediate enthusiasm for the organization. His support has only grown in the years since.
When NFIB/California rallied its constituents for a meeting to discuss establishing an Area Action Council in Fresno a couple years ago, Caughran not only attended, he volunteered to co-chair the council. He currently serves as co-chair of the Fresno Area Action Council, a member of the Northern California Leadership Council and as a vice-chair of the Northern California SAFE Trust political action committee.
"I've been very proud of NFIB," he says. "At the very least, it's an anchor against anti-business assaults. In the best cases, it overcomes these assaults, and it continually pioneers successes for small business. When you have an opportunity to participate in these efforts, it's even more exciting to see the effects."
Topping Caughran's list of business concerns is the anti-business climate in the California State Legislature. He believes that real change won't happen without redrawing the voting boundary lines. A redistricting measure would create a more competitive atmosphere for electing government representatives and make the legislature more responsive to the people of California’s needs, he asserts.
“The typical business owner understands the need to take care of his or her employees; if you don't, you won't have a business to run. Most business owners desire to reward their employees with raises and/or benefits. However, as politicians impose regulatory burdens and foster an anti-business environment, business owners have to cut back and tighten up expenses. It is the employee the politicians hurt the most. The employees they say they are championing.”
The regulatory headaches notwithstanding, Caughran says his love for entrepreneurial activity outweighs his frustration, and he is committed to carrying the torch for small business.
"It's part of who I am."
