03/ 31/ 2006
A novelist I know says all stories worth telling have a failure to overcome. And so, when I talk to small-business owners and hear about their great successes, I often ask about their failures, too. I want to hear about a low point in their business-how they handled the experience, and what they learned from it. Almost every time I ask, I hear an inspiring tale told from the heart. As a small-business owner myself, I learn more from the conversations about failing than from hearing about the chain of fortuitous events that led to someone's success.
For this issue, we talked with small-business owners around the country who have journeyed through failing without letting the experience label them a failure. Their stories will sound familiar. We hope it will help you realize such experiences can make your small- business story much more interesting to tell.
In this issue of MyBusiness, we also take a look at how small-business owners are trying to overcome the failings of the nation's approach to providing health-care coverage to individuals. In the 1940s, when employees began receiving health-care coverage as a benefit rather than purchasing it as individuals, a train wreck was set in motion.
In "Condition: Critical" on page 30, we hear horror stories from small-business owners who are struggling to afford coverage for themselves and their employees. We also learn what NFIB and its small-business members are doing to correct the failed system. And we tell you how you can join in the effort with your story as well.
As a member of NFIB, you are part of the solution to the health-care coverage problem. No other organization is more actively involved at the state and federal level in coming up with solutions that offer small-business owners and employees access to affordable coverage.
