To the ones who made something we dreamed of, but never dared try ourselves.

To the ones who endured the ridicule of others for the sake of their own dream then decided to share their ideas with the rest of the world.

To the ones who spent sleepless nights coming up with solutions instead of contemplating the sheer force of the problems they faced.

To the ones who never gave up when that was always the easiest option.

To the ones who could envision a day when there would be satisfied customers at the end of this leg of the journey.

To the ones who discovered there was a thin line between a foolish dream and common sense.

To the ones who didn't care what others thought, only what they somehow knew to be true.

To the ones who refused to say ?I told you so? even when they could have.

You, brave soldiers of entrepreneurialism, are heroes and destiny changers. You are doing what most cannot.

You see here are the valiant men and women who produce the goods, polish the ideas and sell the services that make our lives easier and more fulfilled. They have captured an elusive bug known as entrepreneurialism and it infected every aspect of their life view. They wish others understood, but they'll walk the road to success alone if they need to.

These are the hearty souls who get distracted at lunch and figure out how to take the next step by simply doodling on a restaurant napkin ? then frame it when the dream comes true.

These individuals may not care much for a dress code, standard work hours or common themes of success. They care more about taking the things they care most about in life and seeing where they can go when infused with the ability to dream. Often these individuals invite the rest of us mere mortals to come to their proverbial tent in the center of town for a delightful game of show and tell.

Entrepreneurs are leaders and they rarely follow. They march to the beat of a drummer only they can hear and the simple joy of following a dream make them kindred spirits with Caractacus Potts from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Professor Julius Kelp from The Nutty Professor or Professor Philip Brainard from Flubber.

Yes, they may appear to be absentminded at times, but these entrepreneurs have seen the future and they are mightily distracted on the way to getting there.

Entrepreneurs are the misunderstood and often made fun of, but there comes a point when their genius is evident to all. Don't be surprised if they refuse to hold a grudge or point out how right they may have been.

Why?

They are probably still looking down the road and envisioning something that may well take them in a new direction.

Maybe you should invite yourself along.

To all these brave heroes of business: Thank you!