Susan Southerland and Michele Butler weren't just employer and employee -- they were best friends. They worked together all day at Southerland's company, Orlando, Fla.-based Just Marry!, talked on the phone at night, went out together socially and were there for each other through the deaths of their fathers, births of their children and both of their divorces. "We spent most of our time together, confided in each other, supported each other," Southerland recalls.
But when the recession hit Just Marry! hard, Southerland had to make one of the toughest decisions since she started the business: She had to lay off her best friend. BLOG POSTS  | Scott Gerber: What I Told Congress to Do to Help Entrepreneurs
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