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FOR MOST SUMMIT ATTENDEES, the opportunity to exchange business tips with fellow entrepreneurs and attend sessions that addressed pressing small business issues made the trip to Washington worthwhile. Some of this year’s breakout sessions focused on healthcare reform, avoiding legal trouble and the art of eBay success.

Healthcare Panel Many NFIB members find common ground on one hot-button issue: healthcare. At the Summit, Sens. Ron Wyden (Ore.) and Blanche Lincoln (Ark.), Rep. Charles Boustany (La.) and The Heritage Foundation’s Stuart Butler participated in a healthcare panel to address potential solutions to the healthcare crisis. They offered these suggestions to help reform America’s broken healthcare system:

> Pooling options { ^LEARN _MORE }

> Cost containment

> Insurance reform

> Disease management

Staying Out of Legal Trouble The thought of getting nailed with a lawsuit is a terrifying prospect for anybody, let alone a small business owner trying to run an enterprise on a tight budget. Beth Milito, senior executive counsel for the NFIB Small Business Legal Center, offered the following suggestions to help attendees stay out of the courtroom:

> Know your state’s employment laws > Maintain adequate insurance

> Manage fairly and wisely _{> Prohibit harassment} {

Success on eBay Thanks to eBay, nearly { LEARN _MORE } anyone can become an entrepreneur simply by selling items on the popular auction site. To help small business owners learn the ropes of eBay success, Jason Miner, who works with eBay University, presented tips for selling products on the site:

> Take product pictures early in the morning in natural light.

> Be professional when posting the item description and product pictures, and corresponding with buyers.

> Tailor your return policy to the specific product you’re selling.

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“One of the reasons we’re [at the Summit] is because it’s hard to stay out of the courtroom. Sometimes it just seems like people are out to get you, even though you’re just trying to run an honest business. I’m hoping to learn new ways to protect our company from lawsuits.”

( Gino Roncelli )

Roncelli Plastics, Monrovia, Calif.