When the term "Entrepreneur" was first coined in 1723 (a French term credited to the French economist Jean-Baptiste Say) it was used to refer to qualities of leadership, initiative and innovation in manufacturing, delivery and services.

Entrepreneurs taking the leap of faith and beginning a new business need the basic fundamentals of business knowledge, but many start with low levels of competence in operations, finance, sales marketing and HR. Even so, they survive, thrive and go on to be successful. How does this happen?

Entrepreneurs are known for taking huge risks. It takes guts to get to glory and recently Forbes Magazine asked several well-known entrepreneurs what their greatest risk had been.

"Across the board, we are seeing companies operate more profitability as a esult of efficiencies put in place duing the economic downturn," noted Lori Christian, PNC Financial Services Group.

How will we be accountable?

High-Performance Teams are amazing to watch. Everyone brings their unique talents and strengths to the team, everyone leaves their ego at the door and there’s lots of camaraderie and enough levity to keep work fun.

Guest writer Wes Ball...The other day, I had someone come up and say, "Wes, I just can’t stop discounting. It will kill my business." My response is pretty much the same each time: Yes, you can.

Over the next ten years, these industries will be experiencing huge growth. One way to get away from the “Discounting Disease” is to tap into an industry that is booming and demand is outstripping supply, thus allowing for companies to avoid discounting and actually increase pricing.

Family businesses are unique. They have opportunities and issues not found in other types of businesses: Family dynamics, or dysfunctions, for one. Patriarchal cultures, for another. But, that’s only if you look at the downside. Family businesses also have a huge upside.

“It’s never too early to start a succession plan,” states Dan Crowley of Peerless Business Solutions, a firm specializing in family business transitions. “The key is to plan the succession so everything transitions smoothly and is well-thought out because a family business many aspects to it