The American economy has changed dramatically in just the past five years. Magazines and newspapers have threatened for the last decade that our country was going to lose a huge portion of the high paying manufacturing jobs it possessed. Those that worked in manufacturing were going to be forced into the service industry, or to take on the role of entrepreneurs. Now we have been bestowed with an unwanted opportunity to watch those predictions be truer than we care to admit. The media has not reminded us that this prediction was presented to us some years ago. Still, we all hear the subtle voice in the back of our heads saying, "I told you so".

"Success" is acquired using fundamental guidelines. Whether you are currently running your own business or researching information to simplify your business startup while you are holding a regular job, the fundamentals are the same for both. You can be very successful as long as you stay focused and persistent. It can be hard work just to build a profitable business. To be successful you must be focused and persistent. Here is some information as an incentive. As of April 2008, the United States Department of Labor released the current Household Survey data stating that the number of unemployed persons is presently at 7.6 million (U.S. Department of Labor, 2008). A year ago that number was 6.8 million. That is an increase of 800,000 people in just one year. Let me give you some statistics to show you how huge a number like 800k people really is. In 1980 the American population was 231,106,727. By the year 2000 the population had reached 286,196,812. With this information we know that the population had risen by 55,090,085 in twenty years. This translates to the population rising at an average of around 2.75 million people a year. If our unemployment rate is rising at 800,000 people a year, that is almost 30% of our nations growth. This information is accompanied with the fact that the average American will have 10.5 jobs between the ages of 18 and 40. This means that at some point we will be looking for a job. This will make us part of that 7.6 million people. You do not want to be a part of that statistic. Stay focused and persistent and you will reach your goals.