In a family of 12 children, my father, the oldest of six boys, was told at the age of 14 he was old enough to be on his own. He found a garage apartment and began working as a mechanic. He worked to learn the business then opened his own shop in El Campo, Texas at the age of 17. Shortly after, he met my mother and married her two years later. I was the oldest of four girls and had an older brother. My mom worked in the family business too by keeping the books and handling

​Aspiring entrepreneurs often ask me for my opinion on their creative ideas, and there have been a few instances where I have been very impressed with the ingenuity and originality behind them. Too often is the case, however, when asked the following five questions, aspiring entrepreneurs are not prepared to answer the real rubber-meets-the-road questions about their business model, strategies and their target audience: the customer. 1. Who will be the customers that will use

I started my career in the U.S. Secret Service in 1989 and worked for 25 years before becoming an entrepreneur. I was initially assigned to the White House and after several transfers, ended up in the training division a few years prior to retirement. I was one of those people, scratching my chin, wondering what I was going to do after retiring from such an exciting, think on your feet, and fast paced career. What could possibly top this? In the U.S. Secret Service I protect

Image is everything when it comes to marketing your business to consumers or to other businesses, yet it is shocking how little many entrepr

The market crash of 1929 kicked off a period in American history known as the Great Depression. My grandfather's home construction busin