I got some feedback that I should lighten up a bit in these columns and not be so negative. It is not my intent to be negative. In general I'm pretty upbeat, an Optimist for sure. But my purpose is to relate my experiences, both good and bad, so that someone who is contemplating going into business can get a feel for what may be coming their way.

I could write a column every month about the satisfaction I feel when a customer calls and tells us how they just love our product. Or about my genuine happiness when I realize that our small company provides a paycheck for some people who really need them and who do a good job for us. We feel good for giving some special people something to look forward to in their week and turn them into productive citizens. The satisfaction of finally getting a new product accepted into a major catalog is a very good feeling.

There are a lot of good things that you will experience when you start your new business. Enjoy them. They are what will keep you going when the going gets rough. Works for me.

But the people who write the business books and the people featured in the business sections are usually the already-successful. How many books or articles have you seen written by people who quit or went bankrupt and want to share how they screwed things up or misjudged the market or their product?

I believe that a book entitled, "What I did Wrong", is probably a better teacher than a book entitled, "How I Made a Million Bucks". Even then the world of business is so amorphous, fragmented and unpredictable that my mistakes and experiences will be different than yours. But at least it won't be a surprise to you when things don't go according to plan.

So please don't think that being an entrepreneur is all pain and suffering. If it were no one would do it. I'm still planning on growth and financial security. I haven't given up and you shouldn't either. Just go into it with open eyes and realistic expectations about how long and how difficult your journey may be.