More business owners operate alone, without employees
Salesman, bookkeeper, adviser and entrepreneur -- Michael Cunningham is all of these as the owner of Sea Isle Bait & Tackle. He is also the only employee.
He also made a 30-second Internet commercial associated with his page, put testimonials on his page from customers and downloaded photos of previous jobs to Facebook.
Dickson had worked 26 years in the Atlantic City casino industry. He said there is a tradeoff from a job with set hours, regular paychecks and paid vacation time. His business offers some flexibility, but also some risks.
"If I'm not found, or I haven't made myself marketable, then I don't work," said Dickson, who recently installed a rooftop putting green on a Brooklyn condominium. "There are no guarantees, where I had guarantees in working full time -- I knew I would make my salary and have my time off."
Dickson said his time spent bolstering his Internet presence was worth it.
"I find I'm ranked higher than some of the franchises that are out there that have a service they pay to do that," he said. "So my work in doing that has paid off."
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