My own daughters occasionally asked questions about my childhood and I relayed tales of growing up in the 40’s and 50’s.  But the time available to spend with this seemingly wasteful past time was much less than when I was a child.  There were friends to enjoy, TV programs to consume, homework to be done and all the other benefits that their generation offered.

As iphones, mp3s, and all the other gadgets of today’s world that I am not even familiar with, consume more and more of our children’s time, I wonder how much time the children of today spend learning from previous generations.  I suspect it is miniscule.

Does this have anything to do with the creative entrepreneurs of today or is it just the mind of an old lady regressing to memories of childhood?  As this old lady remembers a quieter time in the protective cocoon of childhood, she also understands how much this relates to business owners of today.

Are you learning from those who have built businesses that have survived through the good and the bad, through economic downturns and periods of excess?  But that is all has been– history–in the past, you may say.  But history is what teaches us how to avoid mistakes and how to know which is the right turn in the road.

The history of my mother’s generation taught me how to live life while the history of those who were in business long before I arrived on the scene taught me how to succeed.    The children of today don’t feel that they need to learn from the past while there are so many technological advancements to learn from today.  Many business owners of today don’t feel they need to learn from those who have gone before them while there are new gurus on the scene that can teach them the very latest techniques of success.

I learned about life on the front porch of my Florida home.  I learned about business from retired business men and women who volunteered their time to SCORE.  I learned about my industry  from the pioneers in the gift basket industry.  I learned from those who had been in business long before I had ever followed my dream of owning my own business.  I also learned from those who were struggling to create a business at the same time I was, as we shared our experiences.

My first business experience was almost 30 years ago and I owe that success to what I learned from those who had already been through the trenches and had succeeded.  Building on that knowledge, I continue to learn today from those who went before me as well as from those who have struggled along the road beside me.

Sure, there is no question that new technology makes things so much easier.  Cell phones eliminated the need for pagers which eliminated the need for always being in the office when the phone rings.  Advancing computers and software eliminated the need for using wax and layout sheets when I created my first statewide publication for print.  The publication a group of us old-timers have created for today’s world is being done with computer software and distributed through the internet.

Learning takes many forms and comes in many formats.  The internet is teeming with self-proclaimed gurus who are anxious to teach us.  Progress has made it even easier for anyone to be anything they want to be by just proclaiming it.  Each of us can be anyone we want to pretend to me through the miracle of the internet.

Yes, this is an old lady remembering when times were simpler, when experts were easy to spot, and when learning was easier.  As a child, I knew that Mom was the expert.  As a fledgling small business owner, I knew how to recognize who had been successful at what I was striving for.  It’s not as easy today.  But, if you’re careful, you can still find those who have lived through the past and can help guide you through the present.

Fear of being different is often what keeps us in place and keeps our business from standing out in the crowd.  Fear stands between us and success. 

Do you really want to be successful in your industry?   Do you want to be what Seth Godwin describes as a “purple cow in a field of brown cows”?  Then. . . . ..

Don’t be afraid to stray from the proven patterns created by others!

What worked for other people, might work for you. But it might not also.  It might make you just another one of those brown cows munching away in the field instead of the “purple cow” that gets the attention.  If you want to stand out from all the other gift companies, then find the unexplored paths. Lead people to places they have never visited before! Try new things.  Add new products.  Create new markets.  If it doesn’t work, try something else.

Don’t be afraid to be yourself!

It’s your business and you are your business.  Don’t try to be something you are not.  Let a little bit of “you” show through in your website and both your online and offline marketing.  It makes the business less commercial and more friendly.  And, best of all, it creates TRUST. 

If you’re writing a blog, and have an opinion, state it.  If you’re not comfortable with your own opinions and viewpoints, don’t blog. Blogging is about being personal.  It’s not about being more of the same. Your voice is YOU and is different than all the other voices in all the other blogs within your industry.   Even if all of the bloggers in the gift industry say the same thing, your voice is what will make your statement stand out and be different.

Don’t think you can please everyone all the time!

Because you can’t.  If you’re blogging, your opinion is going to be different than that of others.  That’s a chance you take when you let YOU show through.  Without intending to, you may offend someone or they may read something entirely different into your meaning.   If you’re operating a business website, there’s no way you can offer something for everyone.  Even the way you have your site set up may offend some.  A Bible verse may turn off those who are not Christian while those “Naughty” gift baskets that you offer on Valentine’s Day may offend the more conservative.  Sure, whichever direction you take, you may lose a few customers along the way.  But you will be yourself and, by daring to be yourself–even if it’s different than the standard– you may attract even more customers.  You may even discover a whole new market that you never thought of targeting before.

Don’t be afraid to dream!

Dream. Hope. Believe! If you continue doing things the same way all the time, you will achieve the same results.  Act on those dreams or  you’ll never achieve them. Believe in yourself and understand what makes you different.  Don’t just march in the gift industry parade or even in the parade of life.  Step up and LEAD THAT PARADE!

The leader of every parade is someone who  DARED TO BE DIFFERENT!

1. Never reject an idea because it is impossible.

2. Never reject an idea because you won’t get credit.

3. Never reject a possibility because you see something wrong with it.  Separate the problems from the possibilities.

4. Never reject an idea because it’s not your way of doing things.

5.  Never reject an idea because it will create conflict.  Attempt to do something great and fail rather than attempting to do nothing and succeed.

6.  Never reject a possibility because you don’t want to let go of your frustrations.

7.  Never reject a possibility because your mind is already made up.

8.  Never reject an idea because you don’t have the money, the manpower, muscle or time to achieve it.

9.  Never reject an idea because it is sure to succeed.

10.  Never reject a possibility because you’ve rejected all hope.

                                                                                                                      Written by Anonymous

“There were no footprints in the snow. You never had to worry about what anybody did last night because there was no last night.”

This was true of the gift basket industry when a few of us, who frequented the early AOL and Prodigy forums and devoured any information we could find, started our businesses — but it’s not true today. You have access to all kinds of free and inexpensive resources and technologies.

A few of us, and even others who came before us, blazed the trail for you. What you achieve today is up to you and how you follow that trail. But it’s also important that you branch out, step off the trail, and create new footprints in the snow.

In the gift basket industry, there are yesterdays.  Looking back and learning from those who blazed the trails can be invaluable.  But there are also many tomorrows and your fresh footprints today will leave a trail for those who follow you.

By Guest Blogger: Rick Segal of  The Retailer’s Advantage at ricksegal.com

We all know the rule — NEVER mix politics and business. That is one lesson that we all need to practice. It’s just too dangerous because it is the fast track to alienating someone and losing a customer. Having said that, it’s important to understand that just about every successful retailer I know is involved in their community in some capacity or another. We give community service awards in most of the retail awards programs with which I am involved. We respect people and businesses that care about us, that care about our communities, our families, our causes, and those issues that matter to our world.

Caring about our communities and a strong sense of community are the two essential elements to the revival of a town and/ or a downtown. It’s not politics; it’s the right thing to do. Unfortunately, there are times that we can get dangerously close to crossing into political issues or political camps.

This might be one of those times for me, but please this is NOT intended to be a political in any way. But it is hard to say that in an article with the name Kennedy in it.

With that preface I have to share a little known secret about myself. The very first job I ever had was as a volunteer working in the 1962 on the Ted Kennedy campaign for US Senator from the state of Massachusetts. I was 14 years old and my job was to operate the signature machine. I had to put a full ink cartridge into a special mechanical fountain pen, put an 8×10 glossy picture of Ted Kennedy in the machine, hit the start button, and the machine produced autographed pictures of the late Senator. I worked there for the months of July and August of 1962. It was the one and only time I ever worked in a political campaign.

Politics really wasn’t my passion but the reason why I did get involved was because of the mood of the country and spirit that President Kennedy brought into the White House. I’m sure I don’t have to remind you of Jack Kennedy’s famous quote “Ask Not What Your Country Do for You Ask… “It was the time of the Peace Corp, VISTA (Volunteers In Service To America), and just about every household in the Boston area had a picture (framed or unframed) hanging somewhere in the house of Jack Kennedy. So to be able to work on a Kennedy campaign was a really a big deal.

What I didn’t consider was the effect that time in the 60’s and that summer of 1962 would have on my life and how it molded me into what I am and have become today. Actually the column you are reading right now is as a result of the inspiration and the importance of community service that was indoctrinated into me during that time period. You are my community and the community I serve now.

I know there are people who might not be Kennedy supporters and that’s OK but we all have to marvel in a man who could have opted for the easy life. Golf, sailing, travel or whatever he chose. He had the money to do it but instead he decided to work 50 plus hours a week and take on causes that few people even cared about and did it for 46 years into his mid 70’s. Dedication, a quality of successful retailers.

He overcame every kind of obstacle, from 3 brothers being killed, to his children having cancer, a giant public embarrassment, and a failed run for president. That’s enough to make any person want to through in the towel but he didn’t. (Yes I know I missed some things but I thought that was more than enough to make my point.) Ted Kennedy was not a quitter. Another quality of great retailers.

Although after this weekend in Boston, more people are aware of the accomplishments and the many obstacles Ted Kennedy overcame but it’s his amazing congressional record that will be remembered the most. He achieved it by understanding people, by standing up for what he believed but being willing to compromise on a battle to win the war, by disagreeing without being disagreeable, and understanding the importance of fun and light hearted behavior to cope with events as the great social lubricant and the power of influence it possesses. Seems to me Ted would be one heck of a retailer.

Ted Kennedy knew that it was the little things that made him more likeable and lovable as clearly demonstrated at the funeral activities of this past weekend, such as remembering cards to send , calls to make, and people to thank. Kennedy understood the two words that are the basis for any solid relationship. Acknowledging people for what they say or do and appreciating the things people do for you. That was why at 1:30 AM on Friday morning, grown men and women were waiting outside the Kennedy Library to walk past a flag-draped casket. Although they were perfect strangers to Ted Kennedy, they cried and wept because he was a politician who had affected their lives or their way of thinking. How many stores can you think of or retailers you recall that can have an emotional effect on us and are part of our thinking and way of life? I can think of a few that did that for me. Today that is ca lled emotionalizing the customer experience.

Ted Kennedy didn’t get involved with causes because they were popular, trendy, cool, or things that he could profit from. He got involved because according to him, they were right and just. Community service is a great marketing strategy to build a business BUT don’t do it for that reason because it will never work that way. Do it because you believe it, are passionate about it, and have that fire in your gut to get it done. If you search for the pot of gold you will never find one but if you admire and seek to find the beautiful rainbows of life you just might stumble on your pot of gold.

Ted Kennedy’s pot of gold was making a difference and the abundant life for all.  No, I am not a Democrat or a Republican, just a registered independent for 40 years and I don’t believe I could classify myself as a true liberal anymore either. BUT my writings and The Retailer’s Advantage are squarely in line with the late senior senator from Massachusetts, Edward Moore Kennedy, of making a difference and the abundant life for all of the retailers whose path I should cross. Thanks, Ted, for making a difference and making a difference in me.

I am one of the worst people in the world to tell you how to manage time.  I’m a procrastinator.  I like doing what I like to do and tend to neglect the other stuff.  But, you can’t manage a business that way.  So I’ve created a system that works for me.

Hey, try it!  It might work for you.

1.  The Spirit of Work

Call it spirit.  Call it mindset.  Call it an established routine.  Call it whatever you like but basically it’s just making up your mind that if you won’t to succeed, you have to work.

Here is how I do it.

Since many of my orders come in overnight, I’ve created the habit of turning on the laptop while making coffee the first thing each morning.  Before even getting dressed (and this is just the opposite of those who say you have to get dressed for business in order to do business), I check and print out the orders, take care of any that have to be emailed to dropshippers before 9am, and put the others in the orders folder to be filled later that day.  Then I quickly scan through the emails, answering any important ones.  It’s hard but I avoid opening any that aren’t important until later in the day.

By now, I’m in the mood to work.  But first, I take time for breakfast and get dressed for the day.  You may think this breaks the mood.  But, for me, it just gets me moving faster. 

2.  Running To Do List

I’ve read in time management books that you should sit down each evening and create a To Do list for the next day.  Heck, by evening, that’s the last thing I want to do.  I have to have lists to remember things but I’m not a heavy-duty list maker. 

What works best for me is a “running to do list.”  As I think of something that needs to be done (including personal chores and networking meetings), I add it to the list and cross it off when completed.  I look over what’s left on the list each morning, and do the more important things first.  By the time, they are done, I move on to the more boring ones, knowing that the faster I get those things out of the way, the sooner my work day is over.  Crossing each task off when finished makes me breathe easier when the list is long.

3.  Handling Distractions and Personal Chores

This is probably easier for those of you who have an away-from-home office or retail location.  For those of us who are homebased, it is much harder. 

I try to take advantage of the benefits of working from home such as less travel time and the ability to multi-task personal with business chores (but I’ll talk about the downfall of that later). 

I can let the washing machine work its magic while I accomplish business chores and can vacuum when I need to take a break from a long work session that requires a lot of sitting.  My retired husband is probably the biggest distraction as I have to consider his schedule (or lack of one) as well.  But since he’s been retired since he was 50, we have worked out that pretty well.  But it was h#%& the first year he was home all the time.

Email is a big distraction.  I check it regularly throughout the day.  It only takes a few minutes and I don’t read the ads and other stuff that can wait.  The important bits are orders and emails from customers and my GiftBasketNetwork members.  Those are top priority.

The big advantage of working from home is that I can take time out of the middle of the day to do other things knowing that I can finish up needed chores in the evening if necessary.

As most of you know, I operate a number of website businesses.  I’ve been asked how do you fit the computer work into your day.  The answer is “I don’t”.  Ever since I was growing up in the 50’s when we had the TV on in the living room while doing homework, I’ve learned to listen to TV while working–and I do it quite well.  I have a desk with my laptop and needed files in the family room where my husband watches TV in the evening and I work on my website stuff.  If there is a program that I want to devote my full attention to (like Mystery and Masterpiece Theatre on PBS), I simply take a break and watch it.

4. Take notes and put them aside

What?  If you don’t do it now, it doesn’t get done?

Of course, you have to act on your ideas and notes but the timing is crucial.  If you act on every idea or every note you make that very minute, you’ll find yourself going off into a thousand different directions.  The end result is nothing gets done.  This is when multi-tasking is not good and just creates more problems.

So think while you work, make notes, and then act on them when you finish what you are currently working on or add them to the running to do list.

6.  Learn to Say NO!

If you agree to do everything that is asked of you, you’ll never get any work done.  People who work in offices tend to think that because you work at home, you don’t have a “real” job and can take on those chores that they don’t have time to do.

I’ve learned that if the request is not something I want to do, does not benefit me, or I don’t have time for, I politely decline.  When I explain that I have “blank number of orders that I have to get ready to ship out before the UPS man arrives”,  it helps put my “homebased business” in perspective for them.
7.  Learn to delegate and automate as much as possible.
I’m one of those folks who believe that no one can do something as well as I can.  Well, that’s a belief that I’ve had to get over.  As a result, I’ve discovered that there are people who can actually do certain things better than I could ever do.

I’m still working on this and don’t know if I will ever completely handle delegation as well as I should. . . but I’m working on it.  If you have the same problem, begin with those little tasks, like hiring a teenager to handle addressing and mailing those marketing letters or postcards.

There are times when it takes a lot of valuable time to learn how to do something that could be better spent doing those things you are good at.  Computer programs and marketing are good examples.  I learned Frontpage and Search Engine Optimization back when my business was slower and I’m glad I did as I save a lot of money by doing these things myself.  But if you don’t have the time to learn, it is a much wiser use of time and money to pay someone else to do them for you.

When I started the new website GiftRetailersNetwork.com, I knew that I wanted it to be an “authorized access only” website since it was being provided free to those in the gift and gift basket industry and I didn’t want the search engines to access the forum or other parts of it.  I could have spent days learning how to do this myself.  Instead I hired Laura at Firelight Web Studio to build it as a joomla site instead of an html site.  She was reasonable, taught me how to handle all the data entry myself, and saved me a lot of valuable time and frustration.

8.  Take Periodic Breaks

I try to break my work schedules into two-hour segments.  That’s about as long as you can concentrate effectively on one chore.  I work for roughly two hours, then get up and walk around, have something to drink, play with Delilah (my mini dachshund), or make personal phone calls.  Sometimes, I’ll take Delilah up to Buffalo Park for a walk or go do something with Ron (the wind beneath my wings).  Then, when I’m ready to get back to work, I’m refreshed and can do a better job.

9.  Create Balance

I admit it.  I’m a workaholic.  I enjoy what I do and it has a major priority in my life.  The older I get, the more I want to share all that I’ve learned about business in general, computers, and the gift basket business specifically with those who are looking for knowledge.  Most weeks, I work all seven days and you may find me on the computer at 6:00 some mornings and at 10:00 some evenings.

BUT, I do have a life and try to keep a good balance between business, family, and my own personal needs.  I’m not the typical “cookie baking” grandma but I do take time for my daughters and grandchildren.  Last Saturday, I took the whole day off and went to my grandson’s Eagle Scout Court of Honor.  Yesterday, I took the afternoon off and babysat one of my daughter’s children and foster children while one child had foot surgery.  When Ron comes home, I take the time to stop and visit with him and I usually have lunch with him each day. 

Balance is the one thing that can make the most difference in your busy life and will make the difference in how you are remembered long after you’re gone.  I really don’t care if I’m remembered by how many gift baskets I made and delivered or how many websites I created (although these things are important to me right now).  But what is more important is how my husband, daughters, and those grandkids remember the celebrations we shared, the fun we had, and the fact that I was there when they needed me.

10:  Create Your Own Time Management Techniques

When I was a young mother, I read just about every time management book and article I could find.  Some of the ideas worked for me while others used more time to manage the technique than just getting the job done.

The above are some of the ways that I organize my day, and as you can see, it’s far from organized.  It’s more about managing my time than organizing it.  This works for me.  It may not work for you.  It all depends on where you are in your life (and that changes), what your needs and responsbilities are, and what time you have left to manage.  If you’re working a full-time job outside the home, those hours are already managed for you.  All you have left to control is the time you have outside the job situation. 

If you’ve created some time management techniques/skills that work for you, I and my readers would love to hear about them.  If you’re reading this via email, you will need to go to the blog itself and post your ideas.

So . . .Make a difference – don’t just make money.

I grew up with Walter Cronkite.  His face and voice was the Evening News.  When he said, “and that is the way, it is”, I knew that it was.  Even though he was a broadcaster and a journalist, I learned many principals from watching him that apply to my business, as well as my personal life, today.

1. He was experienced but was forever learning new things.
2. Even though his broadcasts were presented in a studious learned manner, his human side occasionally peaked through.  Like the time tears showed in his eyes as he took off his glasses and announced the death of JFK.
3. He was always in character — being who he really was — honest, reliable and someone you could depend on to tell the news the way it was and not just the way he saw it.
4. As his hair grew grayer and the wrinkles formed, he used his experiences and history to teach a new generation how to avoid some of the pitfalls of previous ones.
5. He was trusted because he had proven he was trustworthy.
6. He didn’t depend on hype and glamour to build his reputation.  It was built on strength, honesty, and dependability.

The world has lost a great man.  But his imprint on this country will be around for a long time to come.

What would you do with that last year?  What would you do differently?  Would you stop spinning your wheels, attending to all the little details, being a perfectionist, taking care of the mundane tasks that don’t make much difference?  Would you spend more time on your business?  Travel?  Your friends?  Your family?  Your personal and spiritual life?

Each of us would answer that question differently.  Each of us sees life through different eyes.  All of us are at different phases in our life.  Each of us has different values, different goals, and different dreams.  And most of us think that we have all the time in the world to accomplish those goals and dreams.  But it ain’t so!

I don’t claim to be a philosopher and I certainly don’t have all the answers.  But each day that is added to our lives adds additional knowledge and growth.  And as of today, I’ve had 24,028 days to accumulate the joys and pains of daily living.

So, since I can’t speculate on what you would do, I’ll talk a little bit about me.  For me, my life is my job.  And that life includes family, friends, my own goals and dreams.  At this stage in my life, I find myself asking “Is what I am doing making a difference?”

I’m at the point in my life where I can do just about anything that I want to do.  I have enough money to live comfortably.  I’ve raised my daughters and take time to enjoy my grandchildren.  My husband and I will soon be celebrating 49 years of a happy marriage.  So why would I spend my time building internet businesses, writing blogs, and sharing what I’ve learned about business in general and the gift basket business specifically?

Part of it, of course, is the competitive spirit and challenge of creating a successful business that is as much a part of true entrepreneurs as breathing is.  But even more is the drive to do something that matters as I conduct business in a humane and ethical way.  The approaches I use to achieve my goals are as important as achieving them.

Take this blog, for instance.  You see the ads in the right hand column.  They’ve been carefully selected to include only those opportunities that I have personally use and can recommend instead of all those opportunities that could perhaps make me lots more money.  This blog was not created to be a money-making blog.  It has other goals.

The older I get, the more I require the freedom to express my own feelings and to tell things as I see them.  I’ve seen the backside of the results of the need for paying advertisers — even in our own industry.  For example, when you attend conventions and tradeshows, the products you are going to see pushed in the classes are not necessarily those that the speaker would have recommended if given the freedom to do so.  They are the products supplied by the vendors.  And if a speaker knows something negative about a vendor or personally feels that they aren’t a good match for our industry, the freedom to say so isn’t there.

I remember attending a “Jubilee” a number of years ago.  All the speakers had this beautiful peacock printed cello that they used on their baskets.  Of course, it was available from one of the vendors.  And, impressed by the recommendation of the speakers that this was going to be the “hot” look for the season, I bought a roll.  That roll–and it’s almost a full roll– is still sitting in my bucket of cello.  Anybody want a roll of peacock-print cello?

Writing is one of the talents I’ve been given and I’ve learned the techniques to make it work well for me.  I’ve used that ability in the past to teach some of the knowledge I’ve accumulated in a column for one of our trade publications.  But the freedom to express my feelings about a paying advertiser wasn’t there.  As a result of overstepping that limitation, that column is no longer in the magazine.

So, this blog is the result.  I can say what I want without having my hands slapped.  I can be honest and express my opinions.  I am beholden to no advertiser.  Of course, there are still the limitations of not writing something that is untrue and can’t be proven.  But I wouldn’t do that anyway.  This blog allows me the opportunity to share what I have learned through the years and perhaps, as a result, help others create success.

The same is true of my website at www.giftretailersnetwork.com .  It allows me to provide information and the ability to communicate with each other for the members of my other website at www.giftbasketnetwork.com .  And, I am beholden to no advertiser.  The vendor members at the site don’t pay a dime for membership.  They have to contribute to the cause, however, by providing a discount to the members.  In exchange, they receive the ability to communicate with the gift basket companies through the private forum.  It’s a win-win situation and part of my way to give back to the industry.

This post is a lot longer than most — and more personal.  But, I’ve been asked:  “What is the reason for this blog? What do you hope to accomplish?”  And, I’ve felt the need to explain.

This blog is simply the answer to two questions:

• My life is my business.  What am I doing with it?
• Is what I am doing making a difference?

Back to the original question of  “What If? ”  I’ve talked about the business part of my life.  The rest of it is too personal to share in a blog.  But if I died tomorrow, I could tell myself, “I’ve accomplished my goals.  I’ve allowed the most important parts of my life–family, friends, faith, entrepreneurship–to influence each other and, hopefully, I’ve made a small difference in someone’s life along the way.”

She smiled as she picked up the pieces and put them back into the monopoly box.  She then told the child, “Yes, you did.  But let me tell you another lesson that I’ve learned about playing the game of life.  You can work hard, study, practice and become whatever kind of person you want to me.  But when the game of life is over, it all goes back into the box.  The only thing that’s left behind is what you’ve created or done for others.”

I’ve heard the phrase, “You have to give to get” and have also heard results of how people have been blessed as a direct result of what they have given to others.  But I have a different philosophy.  I don’t think you have to give to get.  I think you give, not because of what you will receive in return, but because your giving is from the heart.

There’s a country-western song that tells the tale about a young man who stopped to help an elderly lady stopped on the highway with a problem with her car.  The young man was broke but instead of taking payment for his help, he told the lady to “Pass it On!”  The song goes on to tell of a waitress, who was pregnant, tired, and discouraged.  An elderly lady left a $100 tip.  That night the waitress laid in bed beside the young man who had helped the elderly woman with her car and told him about the woman who had left the $100 tip.  And the song ends with the magical words of “Just Pass It On.”

I am a business coach for a County Business Empowerment Class in my community.  Last week, a local entrepreneur, who has become very successful, spoke about how he started his business hoping to make lots of money.  He said that he was in the business for the money–not just because it enables him to live well and do things he’s always wanted to do–but because he can use that money to help others as well.  I remember the author of “Everything I needed to Know About Life I learned in Kindergarden” say basically the same thing.

Successful entrepreneurs have to be interested in money if they hope to be successful.  You can’t just forget the financial parts of a business and operate it any way you feel like.  How you treat your customers, your investors, and even your vendors go a long way towards determining how financially successful you will be.

There are, of course, those like Ken Lay of Enron fame and Mr Matoff of Ponzi scheme fame, who cheat others to make their millions and then use it to live like kings.  Then there are those entrepreneurs who achieve their business goals while practicing the principal of “Pass It On!”  When the game of life is all over, and it all goes back into the box, the Ken Lays and Matoffs of the world will leave behind people who have been hurt or destroyed.  The “Pass It On” entrepreneurs will leave a legacy that may not even be known by most but will be appreciated and remembered by those they helped.

We are in the midst of changes in the world.  Changes bring opportunities.  What will you do with them?  Share your comments!