08/ 15/ 2006
by Lena Basha and Shannon McRae
Three customers need to speak with you. An employee called in sick this morning. And you haven't touched billing in days. Lawmakers are the last thing on your mind. Being a political advocate for your small business sounds like something you don't have time for. But if you don't stand up for your business, who will? You don't have to become a political junkie to be effective. But unfortunately, tuning out the issues won't make them go away. Every day, lawmakers debate legislation that affects your bottom line. With mid-term elections a few months away, we present five easy ways you can be politically active without sacrificing much time away from your business.
1. Educate Your Employees
Joni Paladino doesn't believe the old saying that business and politics shouldn't mix. When election season rolls around, Paladino, owner of MIF Inc., and John's Garage, two family businesses she runs with her brother in Brockway, Pa., is busy getting out the vote--with her employees, her customers and anyone else who will listen. That's because she knows that politics affects her business—and that the wrong person in office could affect her bottom line.
"We talk politics here quite frequently," Paladino says. "Right now in Pennsylvania, for example, some lawmakers are trying to increase mercury restrictions. As a small business that hauls coal into power plants, new restrictions on mercury will affect us. I try to show my employees that this rule, although it seems far off and distant, will eventually filter down to us. Then I suggest that they register to vote and remind them which candidates support small business."
Before the 2004 election, Paladino mailed 70 letters to customers and vendors, asking them to support pro–small-business candidates. "Overall the response was positive," she says. "I just got one letter returned to me that said I was crazy. I was OK with that, but I wish I would have known who it was so I could have debated the person."
One peeved customer aside, Paladino is planning the same for this year's election.
"You need to have that dialogue," she says. "Most of my customers are small-business owners, too, but they aren't as politically active as we are. All candidates talk like they support small business, but when it comes down to it, not all of them vote that way. That's usually the focus of my message."
Hot topics: Five things to consider when talking politics at work
- Lead by example. If you're going to encourage your employees and customers to vote, make sure your voter registration is up-to-date and that you can explain why voting is so important. Get tips from fellow small-business owners on NFIB's "Educating Your Employees" video at www.NFIB.com/politics.
- Make the connection. Joni Paladino succeeds in talking politics with her customers and employees because she makes it relevant. Establish the correlation between the concerns of your business and the concerns of your customers and employees.
- Just the facts. When making a case for a candidate, stick to the facts. For instance, you could provide a voting guide pamphlet that highlights the political issues affecting small business and where the candidates stand on those issues. Find the latest NFIB How Congress Voted guide online at www.NFIB.com/hcv.
- Involve your fellow small-business owners. Tell colleagues that you are encouraging your employees to register to vote and ask them to do the same.
- Send reminders. Keep engaging customers and employees and remind them that Election Day is approaching. Use paycheck stuffers, personal discussions and e-mail reminders to reiterate the importance of voting.
2. Get to Know Your Lawmakers
Kathy Swan is in the talking business. As the second-generation owner of Cape Girardeau, Mo.-based JCS/Tel-Link, Swan uses the latest technology to help customers communicate. In 1959, her dad started a business providing two-way radio service to customers in southeastern Missouri. Keeping up with the latest technology required the business model to change a few times over the years, and now Swan's 26-employee business sells and services a variety of wireless communication tools.
Maybe because communication dominates her life—and livelihood—Swan knows how important it is to keep the conversation going with her state and federal lawmakers. "For the longevity and health of our small business, we have an obligation to be involved with our lawmakers," says Swan, who is a county co-chair for U.S. Sen. Jim Talent's reelection campaign. "Time is a very scarce resource for business owners, but you can't afford not to take the time to get involved."
When unemployment insurance was the hot topic in Jefferson City a few years ago, a lawmaker visited Swan's business to discuss the pros and cons of a bill up for a vote. "He sat down in my office and asked me to tell him how unemployment insurance was affecting us," she says. "He never would have done that if I hadn't had a prior relationship with him."
When Swan is in Jefferson City for business, she visits the Statehouse with a stack of her business cards. "Once or twice a legislative session, I make a point to stop in my lawmakers' offices, sign their guest books and leave my card," she says. Even if she doesn't see her representatives, they know she was there. "They begin to recognize your name and look to you for direction."
Don't have time to visit your capital? You can still keep in touch with lawmakers, Swan says. "Take the time to fire off an e-mail—even a two-liner," she says. "NFIB does a fabulous job of keeping us informed on a federal and state level; take action when they ask you to contact your lawmakers."
And don't forget to follow up after a vote. "The thank-yous go a long way," says Swan, who sends e-mails when she appreciates a lawmaker's vote on a bill. "Many legislators haven't been small-business owners. They have an idea of what it's like—but they need to hear from all of us."
Getting to know you: Five ways to build relationships with your lawmakers
- Visit the capitol. If you visit your capital city on other business, take an hour to stop by your lawmakers' offices. Even if they're not in, they'll appreciate your efforts.
- Attend their events. Picnics, town-hall meetings or even fund-raisers offer good ways to introduce yourself and your business to lawmakers.
- Invite them to your business. Host your legislators for lunch or a quick tour. It's a great way to show them the inner workings of a real small business, plus it gives your employees a chance to be involved, too. Find tips on hosting a meet and greet under "Learn ‘How To...' " in the "Get Political" section at www.NFIB.com/politics.
- Say yes. You have to start somewhere. Help a pro–small-business campaign by making calls at a phone bank or placing a candidate's sign in your yard or store window.
- Keep in touch. NFIB makes it easy to e-mail your lawmakers straight from NFIB.com. Send a message in a few clicks by going to "Contact Your Lawmakers" at www.NFIB.com/getinvolved. You can also find a scorecard of how your lawmakers voted on key small-business issues. Get other tips on the most effective ways to communicate with lawmakers in the "Related Resources" section at www.NFIB.com/getinvolved.
3. Vote Your Member Ballots
John Roberson doesn't have time to read the newspaper every day. In fact, he barely squeezes in all the items on his to-do list. But when his state or federal NFIB Member Ballot arrives, Roberson takes a few minutes to register his votes.
"I'm aware of the influence and power NFIB has," says Roberson, owner of Nashville, Tenn.-based Advent Marketing Results. "Taking the time to vote and express my opinion lets my lobbying group know my stance."
As old as the organization itself, the NFIB Member Ballot is the largest opinion-gathering effort of its kind. When Wilson Harder founded NFIB in 1943, he started the balloting process to assure members that the organization wouldn't take a stance on an issue without the majority's support.
Today, members like Roberson view NFIB as their personal advocate. "My business certainly can't afford a lobbying organization by itself, but this way, we can," he says.
Roberson also knows that you can't complain if you don't take action. "I believe voting my NFIB Ballot is as important as voting in the general election," he says. "If you don't vote, you're missing the opportunity to express your opinions to a group that has the ear of lawmakers, policymakers and the White House."
A marketer himself, Roberson preaches simple messaging to his customers. That's why he appreciates the Ballot process. "I always believe you have to make it easy on the customer," he says. "NFIB makes it easy. You can e-mail, fax, mail or phone your votes in."
Roberson can't devote lots of time to activism, but regularly voting his Ballot is one way he makes his voice heard. "It's hard enough to stay in tune with your industry or changing technology for your business," he says. "As a small-business owner, I'm more worried about the next fire to put out or the next customer to help. Political activism is so far down on my list that it's easy to overlook it. But, ironically, it's one of the most important aspects of my business."
Click to Vote
Make sure you've signed up to receive your state and federal Member Ballots via e-mail. Register on NFIB.com by clicking "Sign In" on the home page. If you haven't registered before, you'll need your member ID number, which can be found on the mailing label of your MyBusiness magazine or by calling (800) NFIB-NOW. Once registered, click "My Account" in the black bar at the top of the page. Then go to "Update Personal Information" and enter a valid e-mail address. You'll receive future Ballots via e-mail that you can vote in just a few clicks.
4. Write a Letter to the Editor
Ann Hostler was outraged when she read the letters-to-the-editor section of a recent edition of the Wilmington Star-News. In one letter, an angry reader criticized a recent newspaper story that cited NFIB and other opponents of a minimum-wage increase.
The minimum-wage issue hit a nerve with Hostler, who owns Wilmington, N.C.-based Designs in Wood, and she wanted to set the record straight. "We were upset that the writer of the letter didn't have all the facts regarding the minimum-wage increase," says Hostler, who runs the 22-year-old business with her sister, Ellen Sargent-Bell. "We are proud of the work NFIB does for us, and what it has accomplished over the years—and I wanted to let other readers know that."
Shortly after reading the letter, Hostler called NFIB for help on how to effectively write her response. Four days later, Hostler's letter appeared in the newspaper.
"We were ecstatic when we found out the paper was printing it," she says. "We hope that it brought more attention to the minimum-wage issue and perhaps gave other small-business owners who are not members of NFIB another reason to join."
Now that she's voiced her opinion on minimum wage, Hostler plans to focus her efforts on educating the public about the importance of Small-Business Health Plans. "It takes the involvement of a lot of small-business owners to get issues out in the open and therefore accomplished," she says. "It's up to each of us to make sure that happens."
Write now: Five tips for writing effective letters
- Avoid personal attacks. There's no need for name-calling. Keep it professional, and you'll reach a wider audience.
- Get specific. Use real examples as much as possible. People like personal stories, so use one if applicable.
- Find statistics. Everyone loves a good stat. Do some quick research and include a few in your letter. But be sure to verify all numbers used.
- Be factual. Back up your assertions with hard facts.
- Keep it brief. Space is tight in most newspapers. Your letter is more likely to be printed if you avoid rambling prose.
NFIB makes it easy for members to e-mail their local newspapers, television and radio stations. Go to "Contact the Media" at www.NFIB.com/getinvolved and send a message to media outlets in your neighborhood in just a few clicks. NFIB provides talking points to help you get started, but remember: Personal stories are key.
5. Join an Area Action Council
Ray Childs has no patience for complacency. That's why every few months, you can find Childs, owner of Archbold, Ohio-based Childs Investment Group, walking door-to-door to visit local small-business owners, shaking their hands and extending personal invitations to join the NFIB Northwest Ohio Area Action Council, which he founded almost a year ago.
Childs, who is chairman of the AAC that brings together more than 40 area small-business owners, is a strong believer that if you want something done, you have to work for it. "It's no different than being a member of a church," he says. "You can't go there and fold your arms. You have to be an active participant. And that's what we're trying to do with the AAC. But we also realize how busy small-business owners are, which is why we try to make the meetings worthwhile—something they can really cut their teeth on."
For the last meeting, Childs coordinated a discussion with several state legislators and asked them to explain their votes on a recent tax-reform issue.
"Some of them got a little hot around the collar," Childs says. "It made everyone realize that, even though they're lawmakers, they put their pants on one leg at a time every day like we do."
Eventually Childs hopes to build an AAC so strong that when critical issues come up in Columbus, he can rally his AAC members to support the small-business view. Until then, Childs will continue to knock on doors. "I never get tired of doing it," he says. "You never know if you go to one more business and extend one more invitation, maybe it will be the one to get that business owner out of the office."
Where the action is
Looking for a way to be more involved and advance the influence of small business in your area? Consider joining an NFIB Area Action Council. With more than 250 AACs around the country, it's never been more convenient to become an activist for small business.
AACs meet an average of three times a year and are open to all small-business owners who seek to play a more active role in the work of NFIB. For more information on joining or creating an Area Action Council in your area, contact your NFIB state office at www.NFIB.com/stateabbreviation (Example: www.NFIB.com/OH) or by calling (800) NFIB-NOW.
The Ideal Activists
What you can learn from the 2006 NFIB Small-Business Champion winners
NFIB works for small business in Washington, D.C., and in all 50 state capitals every day. Yet the organization's strength comes from the real stories and real voices of its members. The winners of this year's NFIB Small-Business Champion awards represent everything an activist should be. These business owners prove it's possible to be an effective advocate and successful business owner at the same time.
Central Region
Ken Daniel, Midway Wholesale, Topeka, Kan.
After 36 years of running his own business, Ken Daniel is happy to admit that he eats, sleeps and breathes small business. A two-time Small-Business Champion award winner (he also won in 2004), Daniel plays an active role in advancing NFIB-backed issues at the state and federal levels. He has testified before the Kansas Legislature, talks to his legislators regularly and has been chairman of the NFIB/Kansas Leadership Council since 2002. "NFIB represented me when I couldn't get away from growing my business," says Daniel, who owns Midway Wholesale, a distributor of construction supplies. "Now it's my turn."
One of his biggest accomplishments as an NFIB member has been helping NFIB/Kansas score a number of legislative victories for small business. "In 2003, we won reform of the Kansas Franchise Tax, which should have been called the 'Punish Small Business Tax.' NFIB did this single-handedly when other small-business allies were intimidated by the threats from big-business lobbies."
Midwest Region
Barbara Quandt, Quality Environmental Professionals, Indianapolis, Ind.
Barbara Quandt used to compare herself to a little guppy in a big ocean—until she joined NFIB. "Individually, there's not much we can do," says Quandt, the director of public affairs for Quality Environmental Professionals, an environmental engineering firm. "But together, small-business owners are an incredibly powerful lot. Without activist small-business owners and NFIB, we would be saddled with many horrific mandates."
Active at every level, Quandt's most memorable moment as an NFIB activist was a press conference she helped coordinate at Acapulco Joe's, a local small business and one of Indianapolis' busiest lunch spots. "An onerous bill calling for a state franchise tax had been proposed, and we needed to educate the Legislature, small-business owners and the public—and we needed to do it fast," she says. "I can still see the TV camera focusing on the wild cartoon character in a sombrero outside Acapulco Joe's, and the reporter saying, ‘When it comes to this new tax, Indiana small-business owners are hopping mad.' It was a rousing success."
Northeast Region
Norbert V. "Bud" Fay, Pop & Mum's Restaurant-Car Wash-Laundromat and Dry Cleaning, Groton, Conn.
In the fall of 1991, Bud Fay, working with a local reporter, uncovered a memo to the Department of Defense warning that the Naval Submarine Base in New London could possibly be in jeopardy. Fully aware of the base's benefits for the area's small businesses, Fay drew up his battle plan. Organizing meetings with various groups from the business community, Fay made other business owners aware of the threat, and in the following months they raised public awareness and even made sure to get the attention of state and federal politicians.
The mobilization was slow going, but when NFIB got involved, participation exploded, and Fay and his colleagues won the right to retain the base. After such an ordeal, Fay knows all too well the necessity of an organization like NFIB.
"As a 20-plus year member of NFIB, I saw the results of having a business voice at the federal and state levels," Fay says.
Southeast Region
Brett Dungan, Master Marine, Bayou La Batre, Ala.
When Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast last year, reports predicted doom for the area's seafood industry. What the reports could not forecast was the unfailing determination of small-business owners like Brett Dungan, owner of Master Marine. After the storm, Dungan led a six-week coastal cleanup effort, securing a donation of more than 600,000 gallons of fuel that put the fishing fleet back in business and devising a fuel-voucher system for many cash-strapped businesses.
"By actively participating in something larger than ourselves or our business, we gain energy, insight and perspective," Dungan says. "I am proud I was able to help, and that I can testify to the effectiveness and power of small business."
Dungan's activism began long before the storm. He's well-known among lawmakers and effectively lobbies for small-business concerns. "My business, my employees and my community benefit because NFIB ensures legislators understand and address key small-business concerns," he says.
West Region
Chuck Mott, Innovative Vacuum Services Inc., Edmonds, Wash.
Chuck Mott has been successful in promoting small-business interests in the state of Washington, thanks in part to his wife and, later, his daughter, assuming his managing responsibilities whenever NFIB needed his help. With his time freed, Mott lobbied extensively against a 66 percent increase in the business and occupation tax in the early 1990s. He and the other members of the NFIB Leadership Council succeeded in their efforts to get this tax completely repealed.
Mott was appointed by then-Gov. Gary Locke to serve on the Blue Ribbon Commission for Transportation from 1998 to 2000. While serving faithfully, he never lost sight of what was most important to him: "It was a continuing challenge to represent my small-business interests in the important effort to help solve Washington state's multibillion dollar transportation investment needs," Mott says.
2006 NFIB Small-Business Champion State Winners
Alabama
Brett Dungan
Master Marine
Alaska
Dan MacLeod
R. Daniel MacLeod, CPA
Arizona
Joy Staveley
Canyoneers Inc.
Arkansas
Curt Green
Curt Green and Co.
California
Alzada Knickerbocker
The Avid Reader
Colorado
Walter Curtner
Curtner Risk Management
Connecticut
Norbert V. "Bud" Fay
Pop & Mum's Restaurant-Car Wash-Laundromat and Dry Cleaning
Delaware
Jim Randall
Caldwell Staffing Services
Florida
Jerry Pierce
Restaurant Equipment World
Georgia
Mike Sullivan
Southeast Sealing Inc.
Hawaii
Marcia Anderson
Surface Preparation and Coating Techniques
Idaho
Billy Knorpp
Teknor Inc./RVP Systems
Illinois
Bob Bonifas
Alarm Detection Systems Inc.
Indiana
Barbara Quandt
Quality Environmental Professionals
Iowa
Tom Tucker
Zook's Harley-Davidson
Kansas
Ken Daniel
Midway Wholesale
Kentucky
Richard Gimmel
Atlas Machine & Supply
Louisiana
Michael Mitternight
Factory Service Agency
Maine
Harrison Clark
Service Master Contract Services
Maryland
Phyllis Burlage
Burlage Associates PA
Massachusetts
Frank Catania
Catania Hospitality Group
Michigan
Tom Zimmerman
Spectrum Automation Co.
Minnesota
Mary Hazzard
Business AdvantEdge
Mississippi
Linda Ferguson
Safeway Cleaners
Missouri
Thomas Shaw
Barton Mutual Insurance Company
Montana
Roger Koopman
Career Concepts
Nebraska
Linda Aerni
Community Internet Systems Inc.
New Hampshire
Dick Stonner
Sir Speedy
New Jersey
John Hargreaves
Eastern Cross
New Mexico
Dale Armstrong
TLC Plumbing Inc.
Nevada
Al Sutherland
Las Vegas Water Conditioning
New York
Vincent Stanley
VJ Stanley Inc.
North Carolina
Bill Whiteheart
Whiteheart Outdoor Advertising Co. Inc.
North Dakota
Jack Kavaney
Gateway Properties LLC
Ohio
Joanie Kovach
City Machine Technologies
Oklahoma
Carri Bell
Post Oil Company
Oregon
Dave Easton
Forest Grove Ace Hardware
Pennsylvania
Brian Landon
Landon's Car Wash & Laundry
Rhode Island
Steve Cronin
Pearson Cronin & Jacobsen Inc.
South Carolina
Alan Epley
Southern Glass & Plastics Co.
South Dakota
Dale Slaughter
Krug Products Inc.
Tennessee
Shane Reeves
Reeves-Sain Pharmacy
Texas
Kurtiss Summers
Austin Generator Service
Utah
Evan Vickers
Bulloch Drug
Vermont
Jim Eckhardt
Censor Security Inc.
Virginia
Bert Dodson
Dodson Pest Control
Washington
Chuck Mott
Innovative Vacuum Services Inc.
West Virginia
Eric Fitzer
Intra-State Insurance Corp.
Wisconsin
Herman Herkert
JPH Construction
Wyoming
Dale Kjack
Check's Ice
