Many of us realize the need to insure personal belongings like cars and homes, but often we neglect to insure what provides our lifestyle and financial well-being -- our income.  Individual income protection can help maintain financial stability if you become too sick or hurt to work. And through Principal’s Income Protection Association Program, ICA members may be eligible for coverage at a 10% premium discount, or more with combined additional discounts.

I'm pleased to announce two new benefits for ICA members.

ICA members may now subscribe to the Creative Business newsletter for $10 off the regular price. Creative Business is published by Cameron Foote, the author of "The Business Side of Creativity" and "The Creative Business Guide to Running a Graphic Design Business". The latter has been a valuable reference to me in starting and running my business. I've been subscribing to the newsletter for two years. I must admit I don't even read most of the newsletters I'm subscribed to, but  Creative Business is one I make sure to read from cover to cover. In addition, subscribers have access to free business advice via phone or email. I have taken advantage of that on a couple of occasions and gotten excellent advice both times. Members click here to  find out how to take advantage of this discount (must be logged in to access this page!).

ICA is now an entrepreneurial company member of the Council for Entrepreneurial Development. You can now enter your individual profile in the CED member directory. When it asks for Company Name, choose Independent Communicators Alliance from the list.

As CED members, ICA members may now attend CED members-only events, and pay the member rate at other events. This is the equivalent of a $195 CED membership per person. Please take a look at CED's membership pages to learn more about the how you can benefit from membership.

As an association, I'm hopeful that ICA members will be a great resources to the companies in CED, many of whom can benefit from the expertise of seasoned professionals who can work flexibility required in fast-growing start-ups. And the resources that CED offers for business consultation and professional development will be of great value to the solopreneurs in our group.

The ICA board is in the process of negotiating other benefits for members. The size of our group is a limiting factor for some things, e.g., health insurance, which typically requires a group of several hundred people or more. But there are also companies that are happy to extend discounts or other benefits to a group like ours. Let us know if there are any particular benefits you would like us to pursue.

ICA has joined the Council for Entrepreneurial Development (CED), a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting entrepreneurs in the Research Triangle area. Every ICA member is a solopreneur who can benefit from the excellent educational and networking opportunities provided by CED. ICA provides a wealth of communication expertise to the entrepreneurs of CED.

ICA members can now enjoy the benefits of CED membership, including members-only pricing on CED programs, listing in the CED's online member directory, and the opportunity to share expertise by speaking at CED events or writing a guest column for a CED publication. As an association, ICA can benefit from CED's guidance in growing our organization and increasing awareness of our members' expertise in the entrepreneurial community.