Chad Brooks has logged nearly 15 years in the media business. He started his career at the Daily Herald in suburban Chicago, where he spent more than a decade covering an array of topics, including local and state government, crime and the legal system and education. Following his years at the newspaper, Brooks transitioned to public relations, where he helped promote small businesses across the country – landing media placements for his clients in local, regional and national outlets. During that time, he gained a unique perspective on what it takes to launch and sustain a successful small business. Today, Brooks spends his time as a Chicago-based freelance writer, covering business and technology stories for a number of online outlets. His work regularly appears in Business News Daily, The Huffington Post, Yahoo! and Fox Business.