There is a look that only those that have felt it, see it in others. There is a feeling that only those that have nursed it, know the pressure behind it. There is a knowing that only those who have lived in it, through it and with it, can speak on it. There is a passion that only those that dare to dream it, can realize it. It is called, owning your own business. There is a saying among us, your greatest day is starting it and the day you pass it on, whether physically or the legacy of having owned it successfully. The joy comes in knowing you have done something excellent with the gifts inside you.

The single hardest part of owning a business is attracting and retaining customers. I know firsthand the difficulty of getting people to invest in you. Sometimes with the best product it is still a daunting task to get people to rally behind you. People are stubborn in their habits. Getting someone, anyone to change their behavior takes time. If they say yes to you, they have said no to someone else in that transaction. Every single day we say yes or no a few hundred times. Commerce is a fickled business and some of the best ideas never get off the ground simply because time ran out, resources ran out and spirits got crushed in the pursuit of standing it up.

I wonder what would happen if we took more time with each other? If we learned the story behind our presentation. Then that basket of peaches on the back of his truck takes on new meaning. Its importance becomes rooted in something. I come to know that Mr. Brown has been selling peaches off the back of his truck since 5 AM because he wants to be home before it gets dark. See his wife, Elma has dementia and she gets scared and sometimes wanders off. So Mr. Brown sells a basket of peaches for $2, with a profit margin of next to nothing, just so he can be home in time to comfort and see after his queen before dusk sets in. Now when I hand Mr. Brown $2, I receive my blessing. I walk away with my face turned up to the sky. I savor its taste and the labor behind it. I think of all the baskets of peaches Mr. Brown must sell in order to take care of his bride. I think of the gas it takes to bring that small basket of peaches to my doorstep. I think of the pesticide, the seeds, the packaging, the back bending it took to deliver me that sweet moment. I think of all those times before that I passed by Mr. Brown with his calloused hands and single glove sitting on the bench of his truck with no customers in sight.

I crossed the street headed into that national grocery store to buy my peaches that came from who knows where. Commerce can be a fickled business, I wish we invested more time in making it a heart business too!

Let's begin by my saying I am at my root no different than anybody else. I happen to have a lot in me that needs out and the way I channel that is through sharing my gifts freely. I am not alone in that. I know a lot of generous people. Most people in fact want to share a bit of themselves with others in order to be helpful. So with that said, here is my difference. I am usually the one who leads others into battle. I do that because I care deeply, love deeply, reach deeply, get involved deeply in order to provide others with the opportunity to reach their potential.

I have this notion that it should not just be the rich who get richer. I have this idea that just because you don't start with something does not mean you can't end up with everything. I started at the bottom, on welfare, wearing hand me downs, and as the first in my family to head off to college. I know what it feels like to have an uncertain future, wanting so much but having no clear sense of how to obtain it. I know that look in the eyes that asks, "why them and not me?" I feel the pain of that struggle when despite one's best efforts, rejection, failure and falling short come pay a visit and stay awhile.

I got my break by getting a great education, the best that money could buy. Unfortunately, that gift does not come easy or to everyone. And it is because of this that I know the obligation I have to turn back and bring others with me. I do this by sharing what I know, what I have and by connecting us all to one another. We are joined together for prosperity and greatness. There is no magic formula except supporting each other. There is no sensible reason that 98% of our money should be spent outside of our community. We are a community made up of doctors, lawyers, chefs, teachers, creative minds, scientists, butchers, shoe-shiners, travel agents, inventors, entertainers, cooks, dry cleaners, and so on. We can sustain ourselves by looking to one another, by investing in one another.

I have this feeling inside me that what I am doing along with so many others will work. Everyday I am reminded of my place here. God has stood me up to lead. And this is one marching order I will not fail doing it with excellence. Together we are stronger.

One day soon we will look back and say WE DID SOMETHING AMAZING TOGETHER!
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