If you ever find yourself sitting at your home office, staring at your computer, and wondering if it’s all worth it, take notice of those who have found success from starting small. A perfect example is a story of a young lawyer who recognized a business niche when a friend had trouble finding an internship, and was just named National Small Business Person of the Year for turning his idea into a multi-million dollar Web site. The announcement was made last week during ceremonies at the U.S. Small Business Administration's celebration of National Small Business Week 2008. "Shawn Boyer is a perfect example of the creativity and inspiration it takes to become a highly successful entrepreneur in America today," said SBA Administrator Steve Preston. "He identified an unmet need and filled it, and today, barely eight years later, his company, SnagAJob.com, has become a hugely successful site for posting and finding hourly and part-time jobs, connecting millions of registered job seekers with active job postings. In doing so, Shawn demonstrated the qualities that make small businesses such a powerful force in the American economy, and in their communities," Preston said. First runner-up is Angela R. Timm, founder and CEO of Cottage Garden, Inc., in Bainbridge, Ind. Two entrepreneurs tied for second runner-up: Deborah Moore, founder and CEO of AccuStat EMR of Myrtle Beach, S.C., and George Burciaga, founder and CEO of smarTECHS.net, of Chicago, Ill. The National Small Business Person of the Year and runners-up were selected from among the 53 state small business winners, including the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and Guam, who are being honored last week in Washington, D.C, as part of National Small Business Week. The top winner, Shawn Boyer, 36, was working as a transactional attorney for a Washington, D.C., law firm when a friend asked him to go online to help look for a summer internship. He was surprised not to find many sites geared towards internships or hourly jobs, and thus was born his idea. When it became obvious that no one was fulfilling this need, Shawn researched the business, left his job as a lawyer and started the company. In barely eight years, SnagAJob.com has become a hugely successful part-time and hourly job-posting site, connecting millions of registered job seekers with active job postings. The business started in 2000 with two full-time employees crammed into a 1,000-square-foot space in a medical office park. Today it boasts 110 full-time "snaggers" in a 35,000-square-foot SiliconValley-like facility overlooking a lake in Richmond. Revenues have grown each year, and the company became profitable after its fourth year. Yet Shawn's passion goes beyond the bottom line, leading him to a level of volunteerism and community involvement that has become a big part of the drive behind his company's success. The winners are selected on their record of stability, growth in employment and sales, financial condition, innovation, response to adversity and community service. For more information on these companies and on the rest of the state Small Business Person of the Year award winners, visit the SBA Web site at http://www.nationalsmallbusinessweek.com. |
