“In our area, beauty is always in season - Miami Herald” plus 1 more |
| In our area, beauty is always in season - Miami Herald Posted: 19 Dec 2010 08:54 PM PST Seasonality plays a role in most areas of the economy. When it gets cold up north, hotel rooms here become more expensive and restaurant reservations more difficult. Electricity bills rise and fall with the temperature. Black Friday unleashes the biggest season for retailers. Congress last week approved an extension of unemployment benefits and lower tax rates, framing these basic necessities as a Christmas present thrust on the economy. But some industries do not suffer such gyrations, and that's the beauty of makeup. Versus some products that are luxurious wants, makeup is a multibillion-dollar business driven by the need to look beautiful, or at least presentable. Tis the season to be beautiful, and that season never ends in South Florida, where a premium is applied to image. It should be no surprise that there are budding businesses in the space right here. In today's cover story, Ina Paiva Cordle writes about three firms that have cropped up during tough economic times. Led by already successful businesswomen, the companies started as moonlighting ventures, filling the insatiable niche of beauty, which is as fragmented as the personal preferences of users, observers and connoisseurs. Ina covers banking, small business and venture capital for the business sections. Banks are highly regulated, have high barriers to entry and broad importance in the economy. Many small businesses face similar challenges of gaining market share, particularly in a soft economy, and restaurants, the dream of some budding entrepreneurs, face issues concerning health regulations and liquor licenses. The beauty business is special, in that it mirrors the tenets of free-market capitalism. There is little regulation and the fragmentation can mean profits for many, as the beauty-owner caters to needs that are as individual as the consumer, the flesh behind the accounting term, "pro-forma." As would be expected from such a personal business, the women interviewed were all "approachable, down to earth and very enthusiastic about their businesses," said Ina, who is herself quite the fashionista. "They are very entrepreneurial with hands-on management," Ina said. "They're doing it out of their homes, spending countless hours and approving every detail." From formulations, to packaging, to the names of the shades of color, these three are involved in every aspect of their businesses, and show a commitment to success just as leaders of bricks and mortar firms. These traits can't be fudged, masked or glossed. Terence Shepherd is The Miami Herald's Money Editor. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Program providing health-care coverage for children ends - AZCentral.com Posted: 18 Dec 2010 09:38 PM PST by Michelle Ye Hee Lee - Dec. 18, 2010 09:28 PM Raising a child with chronic illness is a full-time job. Valarie Klein of Phoenix spends all day making phone calls to ensure her son, a brain-surgery survivor, receives the right medication and is healthy enough to stay in school for the day. Doctors removed a tumor from Gaites' brain two years ago. Valarie and 14-year-old Gaites are enrolled in the state's Medicaid program, which covers all of Gaites' post-surgery medical needs, including medication, annual MRIs and doctor's visits. KidsCare, a program through Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System that provided health-care coverage for children of the working poor, still existed when Gaites received his brain surgery. It was the only way the family could have paid for the procedure, Valarie said. But when KidsCare ended in June, it cut in half the annual salary Valarie can earn while still qualifying for AHCCCS. The child of a single parent qualified for KidsCare if the parent made between $14,570 and $29,140 a year before taxes. But now, the parent must make less than $14,580 a year for the child to qualify for AHCCCS. "Without AHCCCS and without KidsCare especially, I'm stuck. I'm completely stuck," Gaites said. Gaites' father pays child support, which counts toward Valarie's income. Valarie said she feels her hands are tied: If she gets a job, she will not qualify for AHCCCS anymore, and if she stays unemployed, she will have difficulty paying her bills. Valarie makes do by reaching out to organizations that will provide her financial aid. Other times, people who know her donate money for her to pay rent. Gaites' father also helps out from time to time. But Valarie said she doesn't know how long she can keep living month by month, or what her long-term plan is. Valarie reminds herself of a saying someone once told her: "With crumbs you make cookies." She said she would like to see Arizona apply the concept to balance its budget. "I don't want to hear the state doesn't have any money, especially for health care for children, because I don't have any money but I find it, don't I? I keep a roof over our heads, don't I?" Valarie said. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
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