The holidays are over and as always, we’ve got lots to share with you this month to start off the New Year with a bang. Here are just a few of the articles in the new issue of Compass:

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While I hate to perpetuate a female stereotype, I have to admit it – I adore shoes. From knee-high boots to super high heels to strappy sandals, my closet is a labyrinth of footwear. Still, I might add a pair or two to my wish list this year!

UPS small business customer SimplySoles has been helping people like me find great shoes since 2004. That September, founder Kassie Rempel distributed her first catalog, filling the pages with a carefully selected collection of designer shoes. Her business has now grown to include a robust website with many exclusive styles, fashionable accessories and her own line of shoes, Lillybee.

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Christmas is days away. Have you sent those gifts yet? Don’t worry — you’re not alone in procrastinating. That’s why your friends here at Compass have come up with a chart for the last shipping days to guarantee delivery by December 25, and it covers all of our services.

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With the holidays just around the corner, ads for the big stores are everywhere, but I’m not going to forget about the small businesses. Small Business Saturday is November 24, and to remind people to “shop small and save big,” UPS is sharing some Small Business Daily Deals on the @UPS Twitter account.

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When 7-year-old Al Youngwerth first saw the motorcycle documentary On Any Sunday, he didn’t know he would eventually start an award-winning international motorcycle parts company.  He was just a kid who knew he wanted a dirt bike. He got one when he was eight, and he’s been riding ever since.

Dissatisfied with motorcycle clutches, Youngwerth decided to make a better one back in 2002. It was the beginning of his Boise-based small business Rekluse Motor Sports. Through Boise State University’s Tech Help program, he developed a prototype that redesigned how an automatic clutch operates. Posting on motorcycle forums such as ThumperTalk.com, Youngwerth shared pictures and information, gathering feedback from fellow motorcyclists. Before manufacturing had even begun, Youngwerth presold 50 auto-clutches online.

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Santa’s been working overtime this month getting ready to make his rounds. Just in case you’re reading this Santa… I’ve been really good and I’m emailing my list to your personal account. And because I know Ole’ St. Nick has been working so diligently – and perhaps to offer a small bribe – I’m not going to leave him just cookies.  He’s getting praline layer cake and pretzels dipped in chocolate and covered with Georgia pecans from Savannah’s Candy Kitchen. I’m just saying – I really want Santa to take my list seriously. 

The man behind the candy is Stan Strickland. He’s so sure you’ll enjoy his treats he offers a full money-back guarantee if you’re not satisfied. The inspiration to open his small business came from his mother who worked in a candy factory. At home, she made everything from scratch – even measuring with the “cup” of her hand. After spending hours working beside his mother, Strickland developed a similar passion for sweets and continues the family tradition of using only local and all-natural ingredients to make candies and cakes. A local sugar company uses trailer to deliver about 60,000 pounds a month!

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Lisa King found the recipe for success in the kitchen of her small apartment in 1987. She was a school teacher in Cleveland, Ohio, during the day, but at night she loved to bake fudgy brownies.  King eventually turned her hobby and passion into a thriving small business – Brownie Points, Inc.

The online retailer specializes in more than 25 different flavors of gourmet brownies, popcorn and chocolate confections. King and 14 full-time employees are busy producing delicious treats year-round, but from September through December she adds about 25 seasonal workers to handle the 30,000 orders she ships each week during the holidays.

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The leaves are changing and the weather is cooler which could only mean one thing, Halloween is here. It’s the time of year when children and adults dress up as their favorite superhero, movie character, politician or the latest celebrity in the news. This year, “The Charlie” (as in Sheen) is one of the most popular – Winning!  My 11-year-old son will dress as the Green Lantern and my 5-year-old daughter as Hello Kitty.  

Americans aren’t scared to spend despite the hard economic times. According to National Retail Federation’s Halloween Trends and Spending 2011 survey the average person will spend about $75 on Halloween related items. This year consumer spending is expected to reach an all-time high at $6.9 billion.

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At UPS, we love small businesses.They’re resourceful, flexible, innovative, and they give good customer service.To put it simply, small businesses are run by good people who care about what they do.These qualities are also at the core of our 103-year old business, so it makes sense to value them in our customers as well. After all, what’s not to love about a mother of four who’s turned a hobby into a bona fide successful business in the midst of its 21st year?

That hobby was volleyball and that mother was Anne Brown, the owner and operator of Tandem Sport, a premier sports medicine and equipment wholesaler based in Louisville, Ky.

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