I've been an entrepreneur all my life, although at times I was employed by others. Unfortunately for them, I always danced to a different drummer. It wasn't as if I didn't work hard and have an positive impact on the business. I did. I just have always had the itch to do it my way.

My first entry into entrepreneurship was with backyard carnivals. As the old saying goes "I could sell ice to Eskimos" or in this case "rides on my swingset" - $.05 a minute (remember this was 1958). I moved from the carnival biz to a babysitting operation. As the most popular babysitter in the neighborhood, ($.50 per hour), I couldn't handle all the jobs myself. So, I subcontracted out the work to friends who in return paid me $.50 for getting them the job. Back in those days, $.50 went a long way. As mentioned earlier that was 10 minutes on my swingset -- but I digress.

My first lesson learned as an entrepreneur was - Sell yourself if you want to be successful selling a product or service. Over the past 50 years it has never matter what I'm selling because I learned this lesson early on. People want to, no better said, love to buy from me! I am passionate about what I do and compel others to believe in me. I believe it is because I believe in myself. Postive self esteem is important in sales. If you lack self esteem and confidence you will have a difficult time convincing people to buy what you are selling.

Second lesson learned - Success in business results from hard work, a lot of hard work and a little luck. Don't every underestimate how hard it is to be a successful entrepreneur. I have spent my life at networking events, leaving the house often at 5:15 a.m. and returning home at 9 p.m. At one point I attended so many events that people began to see me when I wasn't even there. I networked my way into getting to know a fantastic rolodex of professional men and women so I can pick up the phone and be connected anywhere in the U.S. So, the idea that you can launch a business, delegate the work and sit back and watch it grow is a fantasy. Take time to learn the stories of successful entrepreneurs and you'll find out that the common dominator is that they are determined, focused, competitive, hard working people. They walk the talk and create excitement about what they do so others will follow. Oh, and every now and then, because they never miss an opportunity to open a new door luck finds them and catapults them to new heights.

Third lesson learned - you can depend on the unexpected to happen. Just when things are going along well something completely out of your control will set you back. I have plenty of examples of this but the best is that I opened my New York office in August 2001 in order to launch my newspaper in October 2001. The majority of my corporate clients resided in the World Trade Center towers. On September 10, 2001 I signed our public relations contract and our launch party contract. The next morning, I, and the rest of the world, woke up to the tragedy of 911 and the destruction of New York's economic center. So, what can you do if so much is how of your control? Keep a daily business journal. Write down everything that happens in your business every day. Keep track of the ups and downs and before you know it you'll be able to go back and read about how you were able to overcome challenges that happened months and years earlier. A daily journal allows you the opportunity to review how you regularly overcome obstacles and move forward to new highs. When one door closes, and seems to smash in your face, another one opens and brings the sunshine in. I have 10 years of daily journaling that saved my sanity time and time again. I look back now and understand better than ever that life truly is a journey and not a destination.

There is no straight path to success no matter how smart or lucky you are as an entrepreneur. You must believe in yourself and sell yourself, work hard and have a little luck, and always remember no matter what happens you can pick yourself up again and again.