“My Life with Laura” is Now at B&N.com

I am pleased to announce that My Life with Laura: A Love Story is now available online at Barnes & Noble (for just $19.99, 20% off the list price; or for B&N members, $17.99).  I did not realize that B&N was going to offer it for so much less, so I apologize to those of you who bought it elsewhere.  I have not found it yet at other online retailers (other than Lulu.com or Amazon.com), but I will let you know when I do. 

               

Update: I see that Amazon now has a third-party seller that is also selling this now for $19.95 plus shipping.

Update (3/1): There are some smaller online retailers also carrying my book; for a listing, click here.

Update (3/4): I see that Amazon is now selling it for $17.99, and B&N has upped it to the list price of $24.99 (or less for members).  Wonder what that is all about?

Women Consider Work-Life Balance When Becoming Self-Employed

I am speaking on a panel at today’s National Women’s Business Council Women’s Summit 2009 conference.  Once again, I am talking about the small business economy along with my friend and colleague Ray Keating, the Chief Economist at the Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council.  Additionally, I will lead a breakout session in the afternoon on policy solutions to stimulate the economy for women business owners.

In conjunction with this event, we are releasing a new study by Tami Gurley-Calvez, Katherine Harper, and Amelia Biehl on “Self-Employed Women and Time Use.”  This study uses the American Time Use Survey from the Bureau of Labor Statistics to see how women entrepreneurs differ from their male counterparts in terms of time use.  Not surprisingly, the authors find that woman strive for a better work-life balance and spend more time on household activities and child care.  The report also notes that women with higher incomes and/or more advanced degrees are more likely to enter self-employment.  (For more on these latter points, see the working paper on educational attainment and self-employment that I wrote in 2007.)

To further explore the findings of this study, I asked Linked In members to discuss how women entrepreneurs use their time differently than men.  One of the better responses came from a small business “coach.”  She wrote:

Most women see their career as an additional way to use their multiple talents instead of a way to prove that they can provide for a family….  Add to this that, very often, women become entrepreneurs after a first life in the corporate world. They use the entrepreneurship as a way to balance both their professional and their personal life. They design their business to be able to get a life again. The business becomes a tool to gain freedom, balance and make money at the same time. Even if the financial aspect plays an important role, their success is not only measured on the final figures of the balance sheet at the end of the year. 

Her response was well-written.  I could not have said it better.  Other Linked In comments centered on skills which benefit women when they become entrepreneurs.  For instance, women are often better at assessing human-level needs and talents.  In addition, one operations manager noted that wives and mothers are able to transfer their household skills (e.g., balancing multiple schedules, finances, etc.) into their businesses.  On this point, I am reminded that I used to refer to my late wife as the Chief Operating Officer of our home.  (I was the Chief Financial Officer; we were co-CEOs – always sound advice for a healthy marriage.)  All of this is interesting stuff, and perhaps worthy of more study.

BookReview.com: “Excellent!”

I have received another professional review of my book, My Life with Laura: A Love Story.  BookReview.com gives it an “Excellent” rating.  The reviewer writes:

The author’s memories are fresh and detailed.  We—more fortunate—gloss over our lives and in the process lose those bits and pieces that make it special.  This book got me thinking about my own life.  How I also met my wife through “the personals,” our first date, our wedding, the joys and challenges we have faced.  By any standards Chad Moutray does a good job. The narrative is clear, honest and, because we know tragically where this is leading, very moving.   ….  This is not the kind of book a major publisher would produce.  What a shame, but how wonderful that advances in technology now makes it possible for real people to write real books for other real people.  The story of their love is heartwarming.  Thanks, Chad.  And thank you, Laura. 

Overall, I have been pleased with the three professional reviews that I have received to date.  In addition to this one, you can also read the ones from Kirkus Discoveries and Foreword Magazine’s Clarion Reviews.

Small Business Solutions for Main Street

Earlier today, I served as a co-moderator for a panel as part of the “Credit Crisis on Main Street: A Small Business and Banking Summit,” which was organized by George Washington University and Holland & Knight LLP.  In listening to the many speakers, it is clear that Main Street is hurting (something that should come as no surprise to those of us in the small business research community) and in need of policy solutions tailored toward the small business owner.  One of the outcomes of this event is to generate ten policy recommendations to the Obama administration.  (I had to leave before these were discussed.) 

In a separate blog post earlier this week, I discussed the small business components of the recently-enacted American Recovery and Investment Act.  I also posed a question on Linked In about the needs of Main Street.  Both at today’s conference and in the Linked In responses, there was a call to increase small business lending.  The economic stimulus package does contain money to help reduce fees, for instance, on 7(a) and 504 government-guaranteed loans, and the U.S. Treasury and SBA have taken steps to jump-start the secondary market.  Hopefully, these steps (and future ones) will allow more banks to securitize these loans, freeing them to lend to more people.

The Linked In responses focused on a number of topics.  Many of them were small business owners eager for more policymaking attention on Main Street concerns.  They quickly cite our factoids on small businesses being the job generators in our economy, for instance, and they are frustrated with the constant media attention on the recession.  “Stop telling us how bad things are,” one business owner wrote; for his customers, perception has become reality.  In addition, small businesses have struggled to keep things together, tightening their belts whenever possible, but there is only so long that they can do this and stay afloat.  Many small businesses, according to one writer have serious cash flow problems that will require flexibility on the part of owners and their creditors.  That same individual also cites a need for many entrepreneurs to seek the resources of SCORE and similar entities.  (I am sure that my friends at SCORE will appreciate the free plug.)  Moreover, a positive business climate was also mentioned by a couple people.

In conclusion, there are no easy solutions, something that was echoed in the comments at the Main Street summit and online.  It will be interesting to see the recommendations of today’s meeting and to see how they are received and implemented in the coming months.

Blog Book Tour: This Time’s A Charm

Today, we are hosting the blog book tour for Donald A. Wilhelm’s book, This Time’s A Charm: Lessons of a Four-Time Cancer Survivor.  Don has battled Hodgkin’s lymphoma for the past few years.  His memoir relives each moment along the way.  Having gone through some of the same experiences with my late wife, I related to many of the emotions that he was feeling, and I appreciated the straightforward way that he wrote this book.  It makes you laugh in places, it makes you sad in others, but most of all, it serves to inspire you.  Don did not let his cancer get him down, and his positive attitude persevered.  (So much, in fact, that his oncologist asked him to talk to other patients for inspiration.)

I hope that you seriously consider reading this book.  For those just diagnosed with lymphoma, it offers a good primer on what to expect, and for others, it is simply a good read (and an inspiring one at that).  The book is available on Amazon.

I interviewed Don last week about his book.  His responses give a good glimpse of what the book is all about.  Since this interview, Don has learned that his cancer has returned … for a fifth time.   Please pray for him, his wife Amy, and their entire family.  Here are some highlights of my interview:

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Moutray Chronicles: It was nice to read such a thorough discussion of your treatments, and it was refreshing to see you discuss your emotions with such honesty.  Was there any hesitancy on your part (or from your family and friends) in discussing such personal feelings for public consumption?  (I ask this, knowing that people have asked me the same about my book.)

Don: Great question Chad.  The honest answer is “no.”  For myself I felt that my experiences and raw emotions had to be visible to everyone who read my book.  Emotions don’t happen in real life in a sensored fashion, so I wanted to stay as true as I could to them.  As for my family, I simply warned them that cancer evokes very strong emotions and some things in my book may cause them to gasp at times.  I ask them to glance over those parts.  It’s not a children’s book, that’s for sure!  ;-)

MC: You said that Dr. Jeff encouraged you to meet with other cancer patients.  Do you still do this?  Have you heard positive feedback from some of them about this book, and has it helped them better understand and cope with their treatments?  What do you hope that others get out of this book?

Don: I still meet with fellow survivors and active patients at times.  It helps me stay grounded and close to the battlefield.  However, I definitely help more folks through the Interent than ever in person.  I have a strong social networking presence and I hear from folks that I’ve inspired at least once a day now.  It’s really a motivating factor in my life to help as many people as I can, whether or not they let me know that I did.

MC: I felt bad for you that your wife left you early on in your treatments, and your support network seemed so limited during each of your four bouts with cancer.  You did not write much about your parents, and yet, I assume that they were helpful to you these past few years.  What has their reaction been to this book and your newfound positive focus?  

Don: Well, actually they knew very little about my struggles.  I did not tell them of most of the things that I went through.  This is because they are older and have health issues of their own.  I didn’t want to burden them with my experiences because I could read the hurt that it brought them.  No parent wants to think of their child dying before they do.  As for how they view my book, they are thrilled that I went through and published it.  I can actually see tears in my mother’s eyes when she talks about how my book is helping other cancer patients, survivors and their loved ones.

MC: At your lowest point, you were depressed and lonely, living alone, and partying with drugs and alcohol.  Yet, you turned it around, and you attribute your current improvement on your positive attitude and better health. This is a good story, and yet, it has limits.  Were you worried that you might encourage others to abandon their treatments, much to their detriment?  

Don: Not really, though I did put a disclaimer in my book that I was NOT recommending that anyone attempt to take the path that I chose.  At the end of the day, it’s a personal choice based on personal values and priorities.  No one has to do anything they don’t want to and no one else has the right to judge them for choices made.  Unless you are literally the other person, you could never purport to understand how or why they make the decisions they do.

MC: I am glad to see that you found a new life partner, someone to pursue your “finally ever afters” with.  You noted that it was often hard to date women, some of whom might be apprehensive about dating a cancer survivor.  Amy sounds wonderfully supportive.

Don: Amy is the most wonderful person I’ve ever met.  She is genuinely interested, in fact driven, to help as many people as she can on a daily basis.  When we started dating, in fact the night we met, I laid it on the table that I was a cancer survivor and may one day need further treatments.  She was barely even taken aback by my bold statement.  We are truly happy that we found each other and we know our paths lead us to our meeting.

*******

I hope that you check out Don’s book and that you continue to follow along with the tour.   Tomorrow, he will be visiting my friend Gena Womack’s Make Some Lemonade blog.  Gena, as you remember, participated in my blog book tour last month.

The Stimulus and Small Business

Tomorrow, President Obama is expected to sign the American Recovery and Investment Act.  Much has been made of the $787 billion pricetag as well as some of its components.  I thought that it might be helpful to state what it is in this Act for small business.  Here is a run-down:

• $720 million to help support a number of programs at the U.S. Small Business Administration (primarily reducing fees on 7(a) guaranteed loan guarantees);
• $400 million in other support to support economic development and entrepreneurship, particularly in distressed rural, urban, and low-income communities; and
• tax incentives for small businesses, including a continuation of section 179 expensing up to $250,000 on new capital investments, loss carry back for up to five years, a delay in the three percent withholding tax for businesses doing government procurement, and a reduced capital gains tax for small business investors holding stock for five years or more.

Moreover, small firms can take advantage of other parts of the stimulus package, as well.  For instance, there are major investments in infrastructure, broadband, green technologies, home winterization incentives, etc., which will hopefully benefit large and small businesses alike.  Here are some dollar figures for these expenditures:

• $27.5 billion for road construction projects;
• $26 billion to local school districts to enable them to have “21st century classrooms”;
• $7.2 billion for broadband access to underserved areas;
• $15 billion for scientific research;
• $19 billion for health information technology investments;
• $30 billion for improving the nation’s electricity grid and other energy improvements; and
• $5 billion to help weatherize homes for low and moderate-income homeowners.

I could have listed more, but simply cited the larger items that small businesses might be more likely to bid on.  In addition, to the extent that the economy starts to improve, small businesses, which account for half of our real GDP and tend to recover quicker from recessions than their larger counterparts, will see indirect benefits from passage of this bill, as well.  For more information, refer to the sources below.  

Sources: Speaker of the House, House Appropriations Committee

Donald Wilhelm’s Blog Book Tour Begins Today

I am pleased to be participating in a blog book tour for Donald Wilhelm’s memoir, This Time’s A Charm: Lessons of a Four-Time Cancer Survivor .  He has battled Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and his book honestly discusses each of his bouts with this horrible disease.  As was the case with my blog book tour last month, Don will be a guest on different blog sites for a two-week period, starting today.  I hope that you will follow along each day.  It should be an interesting dialogue, and you will learn to appreciate Don’s struggle and his positive attitude.  Many of the bloggers you will recognize from my tour, but there are some new faces, too.  Here is the entire schedule:

• Monday, February 16 – Stacy Martello of Fight Pink
• Tuesday, February 17 – Tina Koral of Cancer Book Review
• Wednesday, February 18 – Christina Olachia of The Uniboob Club
• Thursday, February 19 – THE MOUTRAY CHRONICLES
• Friday, February 20 – Gena Womack of Make Some Lemonade
• Saturday, February 21 – Alicia Staley of Awesome Cancer Survivor
• Monday, February 23 – Traci McLaughlin of The Serendipity Factory
• Tuesday, February 24 – Kairol Rosenthal of Everything Changes
• Wednesday, February 25 – Bob Grayson of Cancer Corner
• Friday, February 27 – Carolyn Langlie-Lesnik of Appendix Cancer Survivor’s Blog
• Saturday, February 28 – Mel Majoros of The Stupid Cancer Blog
• Sunday, March 1 – Erik Hom of Route 53

My Book is Now Available from Amazon.com

Finally!  My Life with Laura: A Love Story, my memoir, can be purchased at Amazon.com, in addition to Lulu.com.  Note that it is the same price at each place.  For whatever reason, it is not available at other online retailers yet, but this is a good sign that it will be soon.

    

My ForeWord Clarion Review

I received another professional review of my book.  ForeWord magazine’s Clarion Reviews gave my book four out of five stars!  That is pretty good, I think.  The reviewer generally liked the book, saying that “readers, especially those of the Christian faith, will find themselves moved by this book.”  The key part of this review, though, is the following paragraph:

Moutray, an economist, is an intelligent and skillful writer. His greatest strength is the emotional honesty he displays while writing about his wife’s demise. Amateur memoirists often fall into the trap of painting an overly golden portrait, but Moutray finds a balance between the deep sadness he experienced watching his wife die and the grace he and Laura held to tightly through their Christian faith. Neighbors, friends, family, and church members brought meals, drove Charlotte to preschool, and provided constant support. But Moutray does not pretend this was enough to make life easy: “I tried to be the perfect husband—someone who was always there for Laura when she needed me. It really upset me when she told me that she felt she was battling her cancer on her own.”

Having said that, the reviewer did not care for my attention to detail, my formal writing style, or my “patronizing” tone on occasion.  (This latter point is the only on that I would quibble with, as it strikes me as being a bit unfair with the reviewer being a bit too sensitive.  In her example of this, she was apparently was offended by my description of a phone conversation that Laura and one of her girlfriends had about diamond jewelry as “girl talk.”)  Oh well, at least it was an honest review.  Overall, I am pleased with it.  Feel free to read the whole thing.

The 2008 Small Business Economy

Today, I will discuss the state of the small business economy at the National Small Business Association’s Small Business Congress in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.  I will participate in the economic summit this afternoon, where I will discuss overall economic trends and answer a number of questions related to small business issues. 

In conjunction with this event, the Office of Advocacy will release the 2008 edition of The Small Business Economy: A Report of the President.  (Its publication had to be delayed for reasons beyond our control.)  We produce this book annually, and consistent with recent years, we have once again included some chapters from outsiders which I hope will spark some conversation.*  Note that SBE usually covers the previous year’s data.  These chapters are:

1. “The Small Business Economy,” a look at the economic trends of 2007, by me.
2. “ Small Business Financing in 2007,” an overview of small business lending conditions, by Victoria Williams and Charles Ou
3. “Federal Procurement from Small Firms,” including the most recent data from FY 2007, by Major Clark and Radwan Saade
4. “Profile of Small Business and International Trade,” focusing especially on export opportunities for small firms, by Kathryn Tobias and me
5. “Small Business Training and Development,” examining small business investment in human capital, by Jules Lichtenstein
6. “A Tax Policy Update for America’s Small Businesses,” an essay on major upcoming tax policy issues, by Donald Bruce
7. “Business Creation in the United States: Entry, Startup Activities, and the Launch of New Ventures,” summarizing results of the new Panel Study of Entrepreneurial Dynamics II (PSED II) dataset, by Paul Reynolds and Richard Curtin
8. “An Overview of the Regulatory Flexibility Act and Related Policy,” discussing the RFA highlights of FY 2007, by Cheryl Johns, Claudia Rodgers, and kate Reichert

If you would like to have a hard copy of The Small Business Economy, please e-mail me at chad.moutray@sba.gov, and we will forward one to you.

* One of the constant complaints about this publication is its timeliness.  We would like to push up the release of the SBE to earlier in the year.  Therefore, starting with the 2009 edition, we will publish the SBE by June (or thereabouts).  This first edition will be abbreviated, but it is possible that future editions would feature more chapters.