When I started my first company, I soon found I didn't have very many people to talk to, to confide in, or people who would listen and who could understand. I guess, looking back, it isn't surprising. Fewer than 1 in 10 Americans runs their own business. And, people who have jobs often see things differently. Over time, I was fortunate in having mentors -- Myles Mace and Peter Drucker being the most influential. For some years, I had a strong Advisory Board. In other years, I was a member of TEC, now Vistage. I came to realize early the value of mentors and coaches in listening, affirming, nudging, sharing my passions and my desperations and contributing to my success. Today, I mentor and/or coach some very special people. Giving back is just as important as getting. I heard a line on TV the other day that is haunting me (it was said by Death, after all, in a movie named Hogfather), "Sometimes the best present is a future."

Thought to Action: Being the boss, doing your own thing, can be a lonely path and most who journey here don't stay the course (the failure rate for business start-ups eventually reaches almost 95%). What are you doing to get the helping hands you might want/need to make you one of the successful survivors? Will it be a coach, a mentor, a Board or Advisory Board? And, what are you doing to encourage those who will come after you?