Shawn Brodof, owner of Clarity Coaching, received the Lake Norman Chamber of Commerce Small Business of the Year award.

CORNELIUS – Charlotte-based Clarity Coaching on Wednesday was named small business of the year by the Lake Norman Chamber of Commerce. Two other companies – Image Promotions of Cornelius and Davidson News LLC – parent of this website – received honorable mentions.

Davidson News LLC, parent of DavidsonNews.net and CorneliusNews.net, received an honorable mention for Small Business of the Year. From left: Board Chairman Robert Reed, DavidsonNews.net founder David Boraks, Chamber President Bill Russell.

Clarity Coaching owner Shawn Brodof provides business coaching services to business owners, entrepreneurs and sales professionals across the country. Recently he also published a book, “The Termite Effect,” in which he identifies 25 common business mistakes and offers strategies for fixing and avoiding them.

“I always had the entrepreneurial bug,” Mr. Brodof said Wednesday. A longtime Charlotte resident, he earned a B.A. in Political Science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and an M.B.A. from University of North Carolina at Charlotte. He worked for 14 years in banking before starting Clarity Coaching in 2009.

“I’m like a personal trainer,” he said. “People pay me to give them homework, to stretch their brains, to challenge them, and then they have to see me again. It’s all about accountability,” he said.

Image Promotions owner Angela Swett (center) received an honorable mention for Small Business of the Year from Board Chairman Robert Reed (left) and Chamber President Bill Russell (right)

“Small businesses are the backbone of our economy,” Chamber President Bill Russell said at the award ceremony, which was held at Visit Lake Norman visitors center on West Catawba Avenue. “They account for 80 to 90 percent of our business and 50 percent of our work force.”

In honor of national Small Business Week May 16-20, the Chamber asked members to nominate businesses with 15 employees or fewer for the Small Business of the Year award. A panel of Chamber members selected the winners based on their growth, staying power, community involvement, customer service and business environment.

“Reading about the different businesses, you get real excited about our region,” Board Chairman Robert Reed said.