Millions Pledged To Aid Small Businesses
Looking to strengthen the economy and add jobs to struggling companies, investment firm Goldman Sachs and billionaire Warren Buffett are pledging a combined $500 million in money and additional services to the small business sector. Goldman will contribute $300 million to help boost lending programs and provide $200 million in grants to community colleges and universities to further the education of small business owners. Buffett, Goldman's largest shareholder, will help oversee the program.

"Our recovery is dependent on hard working small business owners across America who will create the jobs that America needs," Buffett said in a statement. "I'm proud to be a part of this innovative program which provides greater access to know-how and capital – two ingredients critical to success."

The announcement from Goldman Sachs and Buffett comes just days after President Obama promised to increase government loans and credit to small business. In a recent speech in Maryland, Obama acknowledged many small businesses have been locked out of certain stimulus money. "There's still too little credit flowing to our small businesses," Obama said. "There's still too many entrepreneurs who can't get the loan they need to open up their doors and start hiring."

Podcast: Colin Powell Calls Into ASI Radio
On Tuesday's ASI Internet Radio Show, the hosts interviewed General Colin Powell, the former Secretary of State and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. General Powell discussed leadership strategies, and offered listeners some tips for how to manage a staff through difficult times. He also even took questions from callers. Check out this podcast to hear the whole interview.

Click here to listen to the General Powell interview segment from Tuesday's show.

If you'd like to check out a recording of the whole online radio show, go to www.asicentral.com/radio. And, don't forget to join us next Tuesday, November 24, for our next broadcast. Log on to www.asicentral.com/radio at 10:30 am eastern time and give us a call at 215-953-4979 or e-mail us at radio@asicentral.com to participate on the show. We want to hear from you.

Survey: Self-Employed Are Happiest Workers
What people have the highest well-being of any occupation? Business owners. These were the findings from the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index, a study conducted during the first eight months of 2009. More than 100,000 people among 11 job segments were polled. Business owners consistently scored well in the six categories in the survey, which included: Work environment, basic access, emotional health, healthy behavior, physical health and life evaluation.

A number of ad specialty distributors, business owners themselves, agreed with the findings. "I get to sell 50,000 different items to different people every day," says Eric Lerner, president of Action Plus Marketing Ideas (asi/104683). "The work is always interesting."
           
The social aspects of the job are what Harry Parrish, owner of Harry A. Parrish & Associates (asi/291310), enjoys. "I love the interaction with the people, both the vendors and the customers. I'm a pretty happy person and I tend to gravitate toward happy people," Parrish says. "There is plenty of chit chat conversation. I know about their kids, families and where they went on vacation. It isn't just how many ballpoint pens do you want? Even if they don't order anything, I leave happy. Life is too short for grumpy people…and slow-paying customers."
           
The Gallup poll found that even though owners work longer hours than people in other categories, they still exhibited high well-being compared to those who are less engaged in their jobs. "There is a myth that being self-employed is the American dream and the gravy train," says Parrish. "But, I've never worked as hard for a paycheck as I've done working for myself. I never worked until 8 p.m. every night and on Saturdays. But, I happen to love what I'm doing. I love my business."

Obituary: Robert Sauerbach, Founder, Robert Sauerbach Co.
Robert Sauerbach, founder of New York-based Robert Sauerbach Co. Inc., (asi/319300), passed away on November 7 at the age of 92. Well known in his community for philanthropy, Sauerbach was an active Rotarian and past-Master of the Cassia Masonic Lodge in Brooklyn. Sauerbach is survived by his wife Leila, daughters Carol and Janet and grandchildren Michael, Jackie, Scott and Brett.

Counselor Unveils 2009 Power 50 List
At a ceremony earlier this month during the ASI Power Summit, Counselor released its annual Power 50 ranking. Along with 14 newcomers to the list this year, the number-one spot is represented by the biggest news story of the year: BIC's acquisition of Norwood Promotional Products. Sharing the top spot on the 2009 Power 50 are Nicolas Paillot, the CEO of BIC APP (the newly formed BIC division that consists of BIC Graphic USA (asi/40480) and Norwood Promotional Products) and Paul Lage, president of Norwood. Combined, the organization will now represent the largest supplier firm in the ad specialty market.

The remainder of the top five on this year's Power 50 consists of: SanMar's (asi/84863) Marty Lott, Greg Muzzillo and Vera Muzzillo of Proforma (asi/300094), Marc Simon of Halo/Lee Wayne (asi/356000), and Gene Geiger and Jo-an Lantz of Geiger (asi/202900).

New Course Available on ASI Education's Online Learning Center 
Be sure to register at http://www.asicentral.com/asionlinelearning for some exciting new courses available exclusively to ASI members. Brought to you by ASI Education, Online Learning is the newest and most convenient way for distributors to get educated. Here are some of the courses from our New Distributor Success Track available now:

NEW
Wearables Crash Course. In this course, you'll learn about the top five best-selling wearable categories, along with decorating and selling tips. Then, we'll give you an overview of the most popular decorating options. Plus, you'll learn about some of the hot new buzzwords in wearables, such as performance fabrics and eco-friendly fabrics. And, we'll advise you on how to find the right decorator and digitizer. Finally, suppliers are eager to help you show your clients how their logo will look on apparel, so that's where samples can be key to getting that sale. By the end of this course, you'll be on your way to selling even more wearables, which make up 30% of the $20 billion in annual ad specialty sales.

Course Track: New Distributor Success
* Nailing Down the Basics
* Marketing Your New Business
* Steps to Selling Success
* Creative Case Studies
* Avoid These First-Year Pitfalls
* Managing Your Business
Coming Soon: 
* Building Profitable Client Relationships

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In The News
Boundless Network (asi/143717) has announced that it has become the exclusive provider of branded merchandise to CareFusion Corporation, a medical device developer and manufacturer.

Halo/Lee Wayne (asi/356000) recently completed a series of tradeshows around the country, featuring more than 150 suppliers and drawing more than 1,000 current and prospective clients. The shows were held in Los Angeles, St. Louis, Houston, Baltimore, Wichita, KS, and Lansing, MI.

People On The Move
R.S. Owens & Co. (asi/75530) has hired Carol Goebelt as Midwest regional sales manager.

ASI SHOW

The following are the dates and locations for The ASI Show in 2010:
Orlando: January 3-5
Dallas: February 1-3
San Diego: February 24-26
New York: May 4-6
Chicago: July 13-15
Holiday & Incentives Expo, Las Vegas: September 14-16