• Did I accomplish what I had planned for last year?
• Has my position on certain issues changed?
• What can I do this year to make my life more enjoyable?

Another question is always: should I continue to pursue the microBusiness model? And, believe it or not, twice during the last 30-years my answer was, “no”. (But that’s a story for another time.) This year, my answer is the same as it has been for the past 20-years, a resounding, “Yes!”

It’s about a wealth of freedom

• For me the idea that a regular guy or gal, can sit at the kitchen table and run a global enterprise is a very exciting thing! For me “be your own boss” is not a cliché left over from the ‘70s, but a powerful, liberating idea that I simply must pursue—and I have for virtually my entire working life.
• The microBusiness (mBiz) model is rich in so many ways, that I simply must be a part of it.
• First, microBusinesses have the means to set us free. And for me, nothing is more important that freedom. It offers the freedom to be your own boss, while doing work that is worthy of your time and commitment. It offers the freedom to escape a work life in corporate tyranny. We have the human right to do work that we are passionate about, or at the very least, work that we enjoy doing. A well thought-out mBiz will deliver that.
• The mBiz is the right way to fight poverty, and free the economic prisoners of the world. It rebuilds self-sufficiency and self-esteem. It can be a way out of a dire situation. Take a look at what KIVA and ACCION USA are doing.
• The mBiz doesn’t discriminate. You can create a microBusiness regardless of your race, creed, color, age, economic standing, level of education, credentials, or physical limitations. And that’s a powerful thing!
• A microBusiness means no one can force you to retire. You can be a productive citizen as long as you are personally able.
• A mBiz can allow you to work from home if you need to or choose to.
• An well-run mBiz can provide you with a relaxed and comfortable lifestyle.
• An mBiz provides maximum control over your destiny. Puppet strings not required.
• An mBiz allows you to define success on your own terms. How do you define success? I’d like to hear from you.

I’ll never go back

If you’ve watched the news at all during the past year, you’ve seen what big corporations have done to our country, and the global economy. And we’ve all known good people who have been beaten down and diminished by a system that’s only interested in the bottom line, and creating wealth for a select few.

Personally, I don’t ever want to be a part of that system again. I don’t ever want to use my hard work and determination to build the American Dream for an employer. To me owning a microBusiness is the American Dream, and the measure of freedom that I enjoy so much.

How do you define microBusiness?

You’ll find most definitions in the marketplace and various buracracies are lacking. Here is my attempt at a substantive definition. Let me know what you think. (Expanded version)“A microBusiness is the smallest of all businesses, created by a self-reliant person (who often considers himself a survivor), for the purpose of making a living and making a life, and whose goal is not necessarily wealth and worldly goods, but rather a sustainable enterprise that can provide for the comfortable wellbeing of the owner and his family.”

Every mBiz owner has his or her own ideas on what makes a microBusiness great. Please feel free to share your thoughts on what it means to you.