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My Economy

My Economy tells the story of the new economic normal through the eyes of people trying to make it, because we know the only numbers that really matter are the ones in your economy.
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From This Collection

My Economy

This Connecticut contractor says rising demand has left him “overwhelmed”

by Richard Cunningham
Aug 25, 2022
Bruce Ridenour has been a contractor for 40 years and said local contractors in Danbury, Connecticut don't have bandwidth to handle all the new demand.
“As the work comes more and more, faster and faster, it just comes more and more to those of us who are left,” Bruce Ridenour said.
ljubaphoto/Getty Images
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My Economy

This fourth-generation farmer cultivates new ideas

by Anais Amin
Aug 23, 2022
Amber Balakian went "to college thinking, 'I'm going to do something else and get away from everything.' I actually ended up coming back."
Amber Balakian, a co-owner of Balakian Farms in Fresno, California. "It's not always easy to make those changes ... but I think it's worth it in the end,” she says.
Ariana Velazquez
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My Economy

The origins of a glass recycling empire

by Sarah Leeson
Aug 19, 2022
The sand Glass Half Full creates from processed bottles is repurposed for flood disaster relief and mitigating coastal erosion, among other things.
Glass Half Full turns the glass it collects into a sand product that can be used in anything from art to disaster relief.
Courtesy Glass Half Full
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My Economy

"Inflation is gut-punching my business," record store owner laments

by Sean McHenry
Aug 12, 2022
Vinyl records are a big part of Phillip Rollins' business at Offbeat in Jackson, Mississippi. But rising costs make them a harder sell.
Phillip "DJ Young Venom" Rollins, of the Offbeat record store and art gallery, would like to see the prices of vinyl records go down. "The demand is up there, just the supply is kind of low."
Courtesy Rollins
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My Economy

Business school felt like a better bet than art, but an adviser encouraged her to take the plunge

by Reema Khrais and Sarah Leeson
Aug 5, 2022
"I know that art is something that I'm very interested in, but I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to make money doing it," says Devin Tormey.
Devin Tormey paints wedding scenes live.
Casey Durgin Photo
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My Economy

A love of furry felines turns into a business opportunity

by Anais Amin
Jul 4, 2022
"There were days when I didn't even make enough money to cover my labor costs, but we made it," says Angeli Rodriguez, owner of The Witty Whisker.
Rodriguez hopes to franchise her business and use it as supplement to animal shelters.
Angeli Rodriguez
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My Economy

For this pandemic couple, opening a plant shop together was the answer to burnout

by Sean McHenry
Jun 24, 2022
Larry Groves and Ricky Barosa met during the pandemic. Two years later, they're taking a chance on starting a business together.
Larry Groves, left, and Ricky Barosa in their Davis, California, plant shop, known as the Growing Groves. "I kind of just told him, how about we try to do it for ourselves?" Barosa recalled.
Ashley Villanueva/Lusting for Light Photography
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My Economy

The hot housing market is "very bad" for this home inspector

by Andie Corban and Sean McHenry
May 25, 2022
With heightened competition to buy homes, many buyers are waiving inspections and other contingencies.
Despite the decline in business, home inspector Peter Drougas says "there's no way I'm closing down."
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
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My Economy

Re-branding ... and re-discovering a love of gelato 

by Anais Amin
May 24, 2022
“Sometimes my husband jokes that I’m running a gelato non-profit, and it certainly does feel that way,” said Uli Nasibova, owner of Uli’s Gelato.
Jean Marie Biele
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My Economy

How an Instagram joke turned into a matchmaking business

by Andie Corban
Apr 22, 2022
Olivia Atwood's venture was inspired by a Netflix reality show. Now it serves about 2,000 people and has led to several yearslong relationships.
Olivia Atwood at a startup conference in Arizona last year, where her business won the Rookie of the Year award.
Courtesy Olivia Atwood
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