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While many 13-year-olds dream of becoming firefighters or football players, 13-year-old Johnathon Bush not only dreamed of being an entrepreneur but was already becoming one. While growing up in Toledo, Ohio, he realized the only way he could make money at a young age was through entrepreneurship, so he started baking cookies and selling them to friends and family. But, his bake sales evolved into something bigger than his middle school self could have expected. 

In October we celebrate National Women’s Small Business Month by sharing resources for small business owners and women’s stories of entrepreneurship. This year, we asked a panel of experts about their personal and professional experiences with women’s entrepreneurship. 

It’s been a year since the president signed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) into law. Many provisions of the law address small businesses No. 1 concern—rising healthcare costs. In Utah, Betsy Burton was saved from making the difficult choice of either closing her business or continuing to offer healthcare to her employees thanks to small business healthcare tax credits.

Having worked for a few big retailers after college, Mike Brey learned the business and wanted to do it well—professionalize the retail workforce with people who knew the product, were happy in their jobs and provided great customer service. He opened the first Hobby Works store in 1992, and has since grown the business to five locations in Maryland.