Imagine Jose Jr. and Louis as young boys sleeping under the counter instead of at home in their beds. What an incredible set of values their father was imparting to them, and how strongly!

One reason they have been so successful in business is that they stuck with what their father taught them.

As children Jose and Louis learned things you could never learn in a book. This is why they make it all look easy to others. Of course you can learn what you need to know to be successful but we're simply saying you can succeed faster and with fewer heartaches if you stick to what you know.

Topic for Discussion: What does the phrase "success breeds success" mean to you?

Answer: People who accomplish one goal are likely to accomplish the next goal they set. Achievement fosters an inner knowing. Also, success builds confidence and this quality is absolutely essential for a small business owner. If you don't have confidence that your idea will succeed, you will not attract employees or customers. Sometimes confidence appears as arrogance to others. Gerhard Von der Rhur, founder of CritiCare, told us that a small business owner needs a strong ego, not a big ego. He said that a person with a big ego is arrogant and doesn't see the value of others, whereas a person with a strong ego has deep belief that he can accomplish the task at hand. A strong ego is attractive to others while a big ego is off-putting.

Topic for Discussion: Should you get your children and your nieces and nephews involved in your business at a young age?

Answer: Absolutely! Teaching the next generation the value of the customer relationship is a responsibility we all have and what better place to do it than in your own business?

This isn't succession planning, but seizing the opportunity to expand a young person's horizons in terms of the inner workings of a small business and the criticality of the service concept.

Topic for discussion: Would your son or daughter benefit from seeing the link between your customers and that trip to Disneyworld you took last year or the designer footwear (s)he wants when school starts?

Answer: Seeing is believing and no matter how much we tell our children, they are more influenced by their own observations of what we do and who we are than how we instruct them to behave. Bringing the young members of your family into your business at an early age, after school and/or during the summer, provides them with an opportunity to expand their horizons well beyond their academic curriculum and recreational school activities. Let them see how hard you work, how much you value your employees and customers. Values are learned at a young age; use the fact that you own your own business as an opportunity to teach your children well.

You think about it: What are you doing now to teach your children how the business works from the inside out? What could you be doing?