Moving from an independent consultant to a business owner was more than I anticipated. It seems that employees believe there are endless resources, countless government agencies see businesses as cornucopias and some customers find sport in getting out of paying. Investors and creditors are, quite understandably, microscopically interested in every detail, which means that this information must be assembled and communicated.

I would have felt discouraged, but my businesses were businesses and I did my best to learn everything I could about business, reading, going to classes, talking to and learning from anyone I could. I discovered that that's just the way business is. Now I have an MBA from the School of Hard Knocks and it has allowed me to make better decisions and to help others.