ake on other small repairs and, by doing what I said I would do, my business began to grow. I went to seminars and read books to learn all I could about construction, remodeling and repair. I began to take In the Fall of 1987, I found myself dead broke, in-debt and unemployed. At that point in my life I had been through a series of menial jobs and had never been to college. Not knowing what else to do, I began going door-to-door, a borrowed ladder strapped to the roof of my car, offering to clean the leaves from people’s gutters. Little did I know, I had stumbled into an experience that would change my life forever.

I had always dreamt of owning my own business, yet like most people, I thought I’d need lots of money, a patented new technology or an Ivy League MBA, things I certainly didn’t have. To me, it seemed, owning a successful business was a distant dream, a privilege set aside for a fortunate few.

Again, not knowing what else to do, I began to forge ahead.

Soon customers began to ask me to take on other small repairs and, by doing what I said I would do, my business began to grow. I went to seminars and read books to learn all I could about construction, remodeling and repair. I began to take o

n going door-to-door, a borrowed ladder strapped to the roof of my car, offering to clean the leaves from people’s gutters. Little did I know, I had stumbled into an experience that would change my life forever.

I had always dreamt of owning my own business, yet like most people, I thought I’d need lots of money, a patented new technology or an Ivy League MBA, things I certainly didn’t have. To me, it seemed, owning a successful business was a distant dream, a privilege set aside for a fortunate few.

Again, not knowing what else to do, I began to forge ahead.

Soon customers began to ask me to take on other small repairs and, by doing what I said I would do, my business began to grow. I went to seminars and read books to learn all I could about construction, remodeling and repair. I began to take

ever.

I had always dreamt of owning my own business, yet like most people, I thought I’d need lots of money, a patented new technology or an Ivy League MBA, things I certainly didn’t have. To me, it seemed, owning a successful business was a distant dream, a privilege set aside for a fortunate few.

Again, not knowing what else to do, I began to forge ahead.

Soon customers began to ask me to take on other small repairs and, by doing what I said I would do, my business began to grow. I went to seminars and read books to learn all I could about construction, remodeling and repair. I began to take

emed, owning a successful business was a distant dream, a privilege set aside for a fortunate few.

Again, not knowing what else to do, I began to forge ahead.

Soon customers began to ask me to take on other small repairs and, by doing what I said I would do, my business began to grow. I went to seminars and read books to learn all I could about construction, remodeling and repair. I began to take

ake on other small repairs and, by doing what I said I would do, my business began to grow. I went to seminars and read books to learn all I could about construction, remodeling and repair. I began to take on larger projects. Soon I was building homes and buying real estate. Before I knew it, I had transformed gutter cleaning into a multi-million dollar business, and a better life.

Somewhere along the way, I became intrigued by the stories of other successful self-made entrepreneurs, to hear their stories, to understand their mindset, and how they were able to accomplish so much with so little.

I soon realized that these entrepreneurs had valuable insights, skills and practical knowledge gained through their experience that I hadn’t found in a classroom or a textbook.

Some were highly educated, others had barely finished high school. Most were self-made entrepreneurs, bootstrappers who started with little or nothing. Their stories are all remarkable. The lessons they provided were life changing.