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.