Let's Talk Success: Profiles of Small Businesses in America by Ann Dixon

Entrepreneurs have become the new rock stars. Multi millionaires and billionaires have become the idol of many Americans who want more out of life. Small business owners are the life and blood of our economy.

Susan Beacham, mother of two girls had a dream. She was a private banker and she repeatedly saw how painful and difficult it was for her adult clients to deal with basic concepts of personal finance. About 8 years ago she decided to teach money management with her husband Michael and founded Money Savvy Generation.

My dream is to teach money management basics to elementary school aged children and I wanted to get "out in front" of money management behavior before bad habits set in. I went local schools on a volunteer basis to teach my "Mrs. Money Talks Money" eight week curriculum. Armed with my Money Savvy Pig and motivating experiences with these school children, along with the responsibility I felt toward my own children, the Money Savvy Kids Basic Personal Finance Curriculum came into existence,” says Beacham

In the years since Susan first taught this on a volunteer basis the company has grown. The Money Savvy Pig has been distributed around the globe and the Money Savvy Kids Basic Personal Finance Curriculum is now taught in one or more districts in 26 states.

To learn more visit www.msgen.com.

Renee Wood is a self made entrepreneur who turned tragedy into triumph. Her company The Comfort Company is an online store that specializes in the development and sale of meaningful sympathy gifts. She designed her first piece of memorial jewelry after the unexpected death of her sister-in-law's father. Unable to find a gift that expressed her feelings, Renee sketched a teardrop shaped pendant with a forget-me-not flower embedded in the design. She then had the pendant manufactured and penned a verse to go along with it. Late one night, while on the phone with her sister-in-law, the name of a business--The Comfort Company--was created. In October 2006 she was the recipient of American Express's Make Mine a Million Business award. Her six year old company has been profiled on The Oprah Show and various magazines.

Renee Wood says,“ I hope my custom gift items will offer comfort and hope to those who are suffering due to the loss of a loved one or from other life challenges.”

For more information visit http://www.thecomfortcompany.net

Rose Bryant-Bianco, owner of Topical Solutions, journey into business ownership began with an old family Kudzu recipe. Her company has created a line of all natural hair and skincare products.

She is also the formulator of all the products. For almost 20 years she suffered from alopecia and has lost 100% of her hair at least 5 times. Five years ago she started formulating a Kudzu scalp serum to fix several large bald spots she had.

" I am especially proud of my Kudzu Hair Butter and Kudzu Hydrating Growth Serum. In April of 2006 I incorporated essential fatty acids into the Kudzu formula and my hair immediately started to grow. This is my story and I am not making any medical claims about these products."

To learn more about Kudzu Hair products, please visit www.topicalone.com

For All Seasons is a seasonal decorating and design company owned by Isabelle Kaminsky. Since 1998 the company has provided both interior and exterior decor, and strives to present the most elegant and original elements available each holiday season. Isabelle Kaminsky, owner and head designer, spends much of the year researching the latest trends and traveling from coast to coast to find the newest and most beautiful pieces to create the perfect tree or light display for each client. You'll find no cookie-cutter decorations here. Every house and tree are designed to fit the unique needs of every family and community.

Isabelle Kaminsky now devotes most of her company's time to Christmas and the Historic Mission Inn. While most people are vacationing and sitting by the pool, Isabelle is pouring over professional journals, attending shows, and scouring the internet for just the right fabric or the perfect star to top a beautiful 25 foot noble fir. Her crew is busy renovating and cleaning hundreds of animated figures which take up residence at the Mission Inn from November to January each year. And then there's all the lights. Thousands of light bulbs have to be tested and replaced on exterior decorations to ensure they will shine brightly throughout the holidays. Paint, glue guns, sweat, a dash of love and a sprinkling of imagination are the tools of her trade.

In 1993 Michael Roach founded CleanAIR Systems, Inc. with a dream to develop a better diesel emissions control technology in order to clean up the environment. Today he has a staff of 25 and CleanAIR Systems has developed their own proprietary technology. The multi million dollar company doe all of their own product manufacturing and is planning to move into a new facility that is being custom renovated.

In 14 years we have come a long way and battled many obstacles. But today our emissions control products are distributed throughout the world and are helping to create a cleaner global environment,” said Roach

If you would like more information visit their company site at www.cleanairsys.com

Ryan Lee started his career working in a Children's Hospital in NY providing fitness and recreation programs for children of all skills and abilities everyone from paraplegics to elite young athletes. On the side, he started his own personal training company where he catered to training kids and also adults for weight loss. Back in 1998 while still at the hospital he launched a website to promote his personal training business. The site sportspecific.com started to become popular because he had a lot of articles and content.

Lee says, “ It was always part-time income for me until October 2001 when I launched a 'paid membership' site. Then things took off. I left my job at the time as a PE teacher in and began working on the Internet full time. I now own over 45 paid membership sites, have created dozens of products.”

Lee has also created many products including DVDs, manuals, e-books, etc. One of his latest ventures www.workoutpass.com is the largest online fitness network in the world.

According to Dick Olenych, owner of Dick Spectrum Printing ,“ Commercial printing is at a crossroads due to three distinct factors. First technologies have made virtually every consumer a printer. From software to color printers everyone can easily design and print their own pieces. It’s very easy and that has a direct effect on us. Second, globalization has taken a toll on print. It’s cheaper to print in China and ship to the states than to print here. The trend has effected publishing more than quick printing. Kinko’s, Office Max and a host of others are attacking the little printer where it hurts most-our customer base. All in one stores are extremely convenient for the average consumer.“

Olenych has learned to battle the Goliaths in his industry by forming strong relationships. He’s also used guerrilla marketing to reach new customers. Some of his ideas include raffling hot air balloon rides and giving away free rounds of golf and movie passes.

Olenych adds,“ Our job is to give our customers options to contain their printing costs. Are we zany and outrageous, you bet? And our customers love us for it. It’s always about the service. We want our customers to smile and even laugh after working with us.”