More than 100 small business owners back a Fair Tax for Illinois, both to spur consumer demand and provide immediate tax relief for 92.5% of small businesses

Chicago, IL - A Better Illinois, the statewide coalition backing efforts to replace Illinois' unfair, antiquated flat tax with a Fair Tax - with lower rates for lower incomes and higher rates for higher incomes - today announced the support of more than 100 small business owners as part of their campaign to put a Fair Tax on the upcoming November ballot. Politicians in Springfield have less than two weeks to pass a bill that would allow Illinois voters to choose for themselves on a Fair Tax in the next election.

Small business owners have cited two key factors in their support for a Fair Tax:

1)    A proposed rate structure that would provide tax relief to 94% of Illinoisans, anyone making under $205,000, putting more money in the pockets of low and middle income consumers which would then be spent on their products and services and

2)    An immediate tax cut for the 92.5% of small businesses with an adjusted gross income (AGI) of $200,000 or less that pay the individual income tax rate.

Naperville's Chris Dupuis, a founding member of Small Businesses For A Fair Tax who penned an op-ed in today's Crain's Chicago Business, put it thusly: "It's simple. A Fair Tax would put money back in our clients' pockets, who would then spend that money supporting small businesses in the area. The lifeblood of any small business is getting customers in the door to purchase their goods or services."

Dupuis also noted that most small businesses exist as pass-through entities, meaning they ultimately pay the individual income tax rate. "This is an immediate tax cut for the overwhelming majority of small businesses," said Dupuis, noting that the adjusted gross income of 92.5% of small business filers is $200,000 or less.

Last week, a Better Illinois released a video, "Small Businesses For A Fair Tax," featuring four Illinois small business owners describing how a Fair Tax would be a boost for their businesses.

Now once again, the DC-based right-wing Tax Foundation is making embarrassingly false claims about a Fair Tax. Not only are they fear-mongering by using rates that are far higher than those proposed in SB350, they've done nothing to make their argument but explain how many small businesses operate as "pass-through" entities. We agree, but we also did some research into what those small business make in terms of adjusted gross income. 92.5% make $200,000 or less, meaning -- far from being a tax increase -- the Fair Tax would be a CUT for the overwhelming majority.

Despite being embarrassed publicly in the past, out-of-state groups are again lying to smear the Fair Tax proposal and deny Illinois voters the chance to decide for themselves on the November ballot. But ask a local small business owner with some skin in the game, and supporting a Fair Tax to boost jobs and growth is a no-brainer.

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CEOs Must be Aware of How They're Using
Key People, Says Sought-After Speaker

It's a simple fact of business: Without sales, no one else downstream can do their jobs, says veteran sales manager and business speaker Jack Daly. Because of how vital sales are to a company, CEOs frequently tend to misuse their best people, he says.

"There are three sins that minimize the sales management role, which ultimately holds the company back from achieving its growth," says Daly, author of "Hyper Sales Growth," (www.jackdaly.net).

"When they misallocate key players, small to medium-sized businesses tend to go into one of two directions. They either stay small to medium, or they go out of business. When you ask why, it most often comes down to a violation of one or more of these three sins of sales management. Having the right people in important spots is absolutely the secret to success."

To ensure continued growth, Daly says the people at the top must avoid the following:

Sin No. 1 ... is committed when the CEO or owner wears the hat of the sales manager. If you are doing that, you're essentially relegating both the CEO job and the sales manager job to part-time status. In effect, you're saying, "I'm going to grow my business part time." If you want your business to grow, you must grow your sales force, and you need someone doing that full time.

Sin No. 2 ... is to make the best salesperson the sales manager. It can work, but seldom does. The usual scenario, however, is you lose your best salesperson and get a mediocre sales manager. The role and the responsibilities are entirely different. A salesperson's role is to win new customers and nurture the ones you have, thereby differentiating you from your competitors. The sales manager's job involves recruiting, training, coaching, building and developing. Being effective at one of those jobs is not an indicator that a person will be equally effective in the other. Salespeople are used to immediate gratification, involving a deal-to-deal routine. Sales managers, by contrast, must take their time to recruit, train and coach. A salesperson might easily become disenchanted with the pace of the new role and look for another sales job, perhaps with your competitor.

Sin No. 3 ... is probably the most grievous of all. The best salesperson is made a sales manager, but he or she is also required to continue booking business. It's absolutely ruinous. The person's focus will remain fixed on the customer, as that is how their compensation is driven. Accordingly, the sales team will be underserved, missing the opportunity for leveraged growth.

The key to growth is to put the right people in the right places, Daly says.
"Since sales drive business, it's essential to match skills and personality types to the jobs, and to ensure the people can focus on their roles," Daly says.

About Jack Daly

Jack Daly, author of "Hyper Sales Growth," (www.jackdaly.net), is an experienced and inspirational sales trainer and sales coaching expert who, as a sought-after speaker, motivates audiences to take action in the areas of sales planning and training, and customer loyalty. Daly draws upon more than 20 years of business experience, with several successful stints as the CEO of fast-growing companies. He has a Bachelor's in Science degree in accounting, a Master of Business Administration degree, was a Captain in U.S. Army and is an accomplished author with audio and DVD programs.

3 Lessons on Retirement Planning from 2 Classic Old Cars
Financial Advisor Shares Tips for Pre-Retirees

Classic car aficionado David Rosell, CEO of Rosell Wealth Management and author of "Failure is NOT an Option," (www.DavidRosell.com), says pre-retirees can learn a lot from their beloved old cars about financial planning for a secure retirement.

This story alone holds valuable lessons:

"I love adventure travel and, years ago, I went to New Zealand, where I bought a charming old Morris Minor from a German traveler who was heading home," Rosell says.

"I paid $200 for the car, thinking if it got me to the Bay of Islands 150 miles to the north and back again, it would have been worth the money."

As it turned out "Kiwi" carried Rosell all over the North Island. He took a chance and made a second investment of $200 to have the car ferried to the South Island to roam the mountains and rainforests.

The car not only hung in, he sold it for $600 to another newly arrived traveler when it came time to leave.

Years later, fondly remembering the Morrie, he found a convertible version for sale in the United States. "Peaches" had been lovingly maintained, so the asking price was much higher, but she was a far more reliable bet than old Kiwi. Rosell bought it and continues to carefully maintain it. At 57 years old, it's humming along smoothly.

So, what can a pre-retiree learn about financial planning from Rosell's Morris Minors? Plenty, he says.

•  There's a time for taking risks, and a time for avoiding them. Rosell was a young man on that trip to New Zealand, and he planned to stay a few weeks. He could afford the risk of driving around in a charming old clunker because, if it broke down, he had time and other resources available.

"When you're young and building your wealth, you can and should take more risks. Small- , mid- and large-cap stock funds, and international stock funds are the most volatile - riskier - so they generally have the greatest potential for growth," Rosell says.

Once you retire, your focus should be on a lack of risk and volatility, although you still want some growth to overcome the damaging effects of inflation.

•  If you look after your money the way you would a beloved old car, you can live the life you imagine.
Many people contribute to company plans such as 401(k)s or pump their money into other savings and investment plans and then ignore them. That's like investing in a car like Peaches and never checking the oil, Rosell says.

"Whether you're managing the funds yourself or you hire a financial advisor, you need to be monitoring your progress toward your goals and making adjustments during your accumulation years," he says.

"As you get closer to retirement, you need to begin planning for how much you'll be able to withdraw each year without stressing your portfolio; how that affects the date  when you can retire; and when you should start collecting Social Security benefits."

•  Gather all your important paperwork - and an index to it - and keep it where your family can find it.
When Rosell bought Peaches, its owner had a stack of paperwork documenting everything he'd done to maintain and restore the car. That has helped Rosell be proactive and focused in his maintenance efforts.

"If something should happen to you, you can make it much easier on your family by compiling the information they need," he says.

Make sure all important financial information and other important documents are organized and stored in a fireproof box, and provide a list with information such as:

Location of wills and other important papers; bank accounts; investments; retirement assets such as 401(k)s; insurance policies; business interests; real estate; personal property; debts and money owed

Rosell says Peaches taught him many life lessons as well, including this one: "Like Peaches, one does not need to be flamboyant or showy to get positive attention!"

About David Rosell

David Rosell, author of "Failure is NOT an Option," (www.DavidRosell.com), is a sought-after speaker who has addressed international audiences including the Million Dollar Round Table. He is a recipient of the Retirement Distribution Certificate from the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Business, and has been featured on NPR and FOX Business News.  His company, Rosell Wealth Management, was a select finalist in 2008 for the management of the $500,000,000 Oregon 529 College Fund. He is the past chairman of the Bend, Ore., Chamber of Commerce, the City Club of Central Oregon and his Toastmasters chapter. With a current tally of more than 65 countries on four different continents, Rosell has a love of extreme travel and adventure.