NFIB

Former small-business owner Kathy Ward-Johnson may no longer own a business, but she is still an active member of NFIB. Ward-Johnson joined NFIB in 1985 while she was owner of Auto Specialist Inc. in Illinois.

"In the auto business we offered a full service repair shop," said Ward-Johnson. The business employed seven individuals four of which were members of her family. The business is now owned by her husband's son, and she is self-employed as a real estate agent at Coldwell Banker Primus. 

Ward-Johnson first joined NFIB after she was invited to a meeting by one of NFIB's sales representatives.

"I was first attracted to NFIB because of their election coverage for small business," said Ward-Johnson. "NFIB keeps me informed on pending legislation and candidates." 

Since joining NFIB, Ward-Johnson has worked on state level campaigns, was elected to the White House Conference on small business, and chaired the Rules and Regulations Committee from Illinois. Currently she is the Area Action chair for Southern Wisconsin.

While Ward-Johnson owned her business she felt the plague of extensive paper work and heavy taxation for small businesses, and feared the threat of frivolous lawsuits. Despite these burdens, Ward-Johnson does admit there are a lot of benefits to owning your own business. 

"I enjoyed being part of the American dream: Your hard work makes or breaks your business and being able to pass the business down to your children," said Ward-Johnson.