Back Issues - May/June 2007

Kevin Summers started a side business recycling and selling wooden shipping pallets for a profit during his teenage years. A strong work ethic and dedication to give top-notch service to his customers has paid off for Summers. Three decades later, this multimillion-dollar company is turning “wood” into “gold.”

In late 2000, Karen Nelson Bell and her husband found themselves in financial crisis after the simultaneous loss of both their jobs. Desperate for a way out, Bell plunged headfirst into a real estate mentoring program. Four months later, she had become a millionaire with a “nothing down” realty business. Today, Bell’s passion for mentoring has changed the lives of many women like herself.

Keith Daniels Schwartz is a company man, and he has the ties to
complete the look. What began as a side business selling ugly
polyester ties, has developed into a full-fledged empire for a man
who was simply bored with his job. Schwartz now owns two
businesses, each with a thriving line of products purchased by retailers around the world.

It took motivation, research, an unbeatable business philosophy and $9,000 in credit cards to turn Stacey Santos’ company into a million-dollar corporation. Santos found her special niche in the real estate business and has climbed to the top of the success ladder.

Though he had found success in the painting industry, Shawn Donegan was looking for a way to increase job productivity. His brainstorming led to the development of a two-roller painting system called Speed Rollers®. This “Rolls-Royce” of the paint industry has made Donegan a millionaire.

When Rebecca Finell’s innovative Frog Pod won first place at the 2004 Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association Student Design Competition, she discovered she had an aptitude for creating products that were fun for kids and functional for parents. Instead of selling out to manufacturers, Finell teamed up with Ryan Fernandez to create Boon Inc. They put the “green” idea on the market, and the company has since made a hop, skip and a jump into millions.

Welcome to our new feature, Blueprint to a Business! In each upcoming issue, we’ll bring you the facts about a different type of business and provide step-by-step details on what it takes to get that kind of venture up and running. If your dream is to open that “mom and pop” place around the corner, follow along this month as we take an insider’s look at the restaurant industry. Here you’ll find information and resources on everything from obtaining licenses and hiring employees, to the pros and cons of operating a franchise plus guidelines for staying profitable.

Peter von Dyck’s journey toward financial freedom became a personal mission after tragedy struck his family. A lifetime of experience in the medical field has enabled him to develop medical devices that have helped save thousands of lives. Inside, von Dyck gives an exclusive look at the complexities of introducing new products into the medical field.

We first introduced our readers to Bangladesh economist, Muhammad Yunus in the July/August 2006 issue of Millionaire Blueprints. In October 2006, Yunus and the Grameen Bank were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for their efforts in creating economic and social development for rural entrepreneurs in the developing world. By popular demand from our readership, we once again publish the story of this pioneer of an internationally recognized methodology called microlending.