Entrepreneur Takes Reins Of NFIB
Indianapolis Business Journal:
When Barbara Quandt was launching her career in the mid-1970s, she purposely avoided learning how to type. “Everywhere you went, all people would ask is: ‘Can you type? How fast can you type?’” recalled Quandt, 57.
But Quandt wanted a sales job—a rarity then for women—so she begged off typing classes and got a shot in sales.
Later in her career, she started her own travel agency because she didn’t think she could find work when she was eight months pregnant. She went into labor on the business’ official launch date, but soon was back on the job.
That tenacity, coupled with an outgoing personality, are likely to serve Quandt well in her new job as the state director for the National Federation of Independent Business.
The Nashville, Tenn.-based NFIB is the leading voice for small-business owners nationally, lobbying local, state and federal lawmakers to make sure they take busy entrepreneurs’ opinions into account. While big-budget organizations such as the Indiana Chamber of Commerce and the Indiana Manufacturers Association also hold great sway, NFIB has credibility thanks to its membership—normal folks who’ve risked their life savings to start a small business, most employing five or fewer people.
Photo by NFIB.
Lau Pan on February 17th, 2008 11:54 am
It is good to see that they have placed an entrepreneur in this position; this is what the NFIB needs if it wishes to stem the decrease in membership and build for the future. This organization has so much potential and there is a need for the small business community to have a voice and champion for the cause. Let us not loose the focus
People who have a passion and “fire in the belly attitude” have driven the NFIB sucess.
Too often we have seen NFIB appoint lawyers, many of which do not have a business aptitude and people who are professional lobbyists to the State Director position and then wonder why membership decreases. We are a small business organization. Let us operate this way.
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