Small business makes big news

Our annual small-business special report is one of my favorite issues of the year, mostly for personal reasons: It makes me think of my parents, who were themselves small-business owners.I grew up in a restaurant and saw first hand that, although the money can be very good, owning your own business is about more than money. It's about passion, belief, commitment and a lot of hard work.When I read stories like Ethan Butterfield's profile on the Fast 50 companies, I hear echoes of the lessons my parents taught me: Find something you love to do, and do your best at it.But being a small business in the government market is more complex than living out a Horatio Alger story. That's why our special report also features stories about business opportunities, policy issues and the competitive landscape.Alice Lipowicz gives the lowdown on two huge procurements coming from the Homeland Security Department that will control the purse strings on billions of dollars of spending by the agency.Roseanne Gerin rounds up the policy issues, such as small-business size standards and contract bundling, that will influence which companies can compete for small business programs and which can't.I couldn't let a favorite issue pass without offering my two cents with a story about the continuing growth of Alaska Native Corporations and tribally owned companies in the 8(a) program.