April 2026 Newsletter

Every year, on April 1, we open our Annual Member Results questionnaire in the member portal. This brief form (just 6 questions!) gives you the opportunity to track key metrics year over year in a confidential, protected place.

Our VP of Program, Katie Outon McMahon, explains: “We take the responses, stripped of identifying details, and compare the aggregate results with national benchmarks for small business growth. We’ve been doing this analysis for 4 years now, and, every year, our members notably outperform the national averages.”

Katie goes on to say, “We believe in making a significant and measurable impact — it's one of our core values. Everything we ask is used to help us ensure we’re on the right track. Ultimately, if our members aren’t growing their businesses, we aren’t making the impact we aim for. So we use the aggregated data to test our own impact, to seek funding, to report back to funders, and to make important adjustments to our program. Each member’s participation is truly critical, whether or not they had a ‘good’ year–these results are how we keep going and growing.”

Also, In 2024, we welcomed 180 new members, whose data will help us track patterns through each year of program participation. That way, we can ensure third-year (and beyond!) members benefit just as much as the newbies.

Haven't completed your questionnaire yet? Log into the member portal and click “Annual Member Results” from the “User” dropdown menu.

Or, if you need assistance, Schedule a call with our Member Experience Manager, Adriana, here.

At Entrepreneurs Forever, we take this advice to heart. We ask members for feedback frequently because we firmly believe it’s the best way to learn.

Last fall, for example, we learned that our members:

• Believe their group’s peers and facilitators provide invaluable help and advice, and that they’re building genuine, supportive relationships
• Feel safe and empowered in their groups, but some things are still hard to share
• Want more opportunities to connect across peer groups
• Don’t want to change their password every few months! 😂

We want you to know we heard you, and we’re working to enhance what’s working and fix what’s not

Groups: Homestead, The Corner, Worcester 2,  Westmoreland 1, Allegheny 6

Business: B.O.S.S. Consulting

Super Power: Helping Entrepreneurs Live Their Best Life

No one starts a business because they want to devote every waking hour to it, but too often, that's what happens. Facilitator Terry Doloughty, however, is on a mission to change that. In fact, he's so dedicated to the cause that Terry spoke to us from Spain — where he's currently exploring and running his stateside business (while starting a new one, too!). Talk about living the dream! Watch the video to meet Terry and learn more.

ℹ️ Did you know that Entrepreneurs Forever members can request a 1-on-1 with any facilitator for additional help with specialized topics or challenges? Your peer group facilitator can help guide you to the right person!

After 45 Years, It's Still All in the Family

Join the family business? That's what Entrepreneurs Forever member Chris Rojik did ... at age 13. And he stayed, even after graduating from college in the late 1980s.

That business, a custom framing shop called Frame Gallery in Sharpsburg, PA, and Chris have seen the industry change a lot since he began his career back in middle school — from the rise of digital photograph to online marketing; a boom period, in which the custom framing shop his dad started in 1980 saw around 70 competitors in the market; to its current state, where Chris estimates only about 20 market competitors still exist. But Chris takes it all in stride, because even as large, national retailers and online-only providers may feel like the trend now, the services they provide aren't right for everyone. That includes Chris's customers, who want an artisan to handle their memories, someone who ensures the work is done right AND onsite and can produce a finished product to be cherished forever.

But after being in the business for more than 30 years, does Chris really need to learn more? Says Chris, yes. "Sometimes, I think I have it down pat after all the years, but I don't. You know, I get something out of my Entrepreneurs Forever peer group meetings every single month. You learn a little bit from everybody. And when another member says 'this is what happened to me' or 'watch out for this,' that's invaluable," says Chris.

It's an impressive endorsement from Chris, who has perfect attendance in his Sharpsburg group and has been a member of Entrepreneurs Forever since its early days as the Mansmann Foundation. He also regularly attends the organization's Deep Dives, which he refers to as "the icing on the cake," like a personalized consulting session.

Learn more about Chris's business, Frame Gallery, and view additional samples of the work they do at https://www.framegallerypgh.com.

A little more than a year ago, the Department of Labor revised the way workers are classified as either employees or contractors. As a quick review, here's the six-factor "economic reality" test that's currently in effect.

1. Opportunity for Profit or Loss Depending on Managerial Skill
2. Investments by the Worker and the Employer  
3. Degree of Permanence of the Work Relationship  
4. Nature and Degree of Control  
5. Extent to Which the Work Performed Is an Integral Part of the Employer’s Business
6. Skill and Initiative

BTW, thanks to facilitator Donald Robinson for submitting this information following a peer group discussion about the differences between the old three-pronged rule and the new six-factor rule implemented in 2024.

Trying to juggle all the news and potential impacts of tariffs? You're not alone. You can get a quick education in tariffs and how they might affect your business at this workshop from Ascender on April 17. The event features import/export lawyers who "really geek out on this topic," so you're sure to walk away with an all-new understanding of this hot topic.