The Kitsap Peninsula Business Journal brings us the story of how Laurie Lewis got her neon business up and profiting, despite the trying economic times.

Slowly but surely, Custom Neon grew. Suppliers began to refer clients. Word of mouth spread. Other sign companies subcontracted with Laurie. After five years, the business had stabilized and Laurie was now at a point where she could not do it alone. She made the decision to hire a part time person, on a contract basis.

“Getting someone else in to work with me was huge,” said Laurie, “even though I was a little worried about the expense. Working in a vacuum stunts creativity. It was our brainstorming together that led to all kinds of new things.”

This is a great piece on how one small business owner was able to bend her business to overcome and take advantage of change. You can read the whole thing here.