HATTIE (In the Studio) : Bob Sakata's mantra for 50 years has been lighten the load for the farmworker. While doing the back-breaking work himself since childhood, Bob was always thinking, `How can a job be made easier for the worker?' With this one big question occupying his mind, he has invented dozens of labor-saving devices and worked with big companies, such as John Deere and Caterpillar, to automate tasks he once did himself by hand.

The 20-year pursuit to develop his sweet corn seed started with the idea that automated harvesting would work if there were only one husk of corn per stalk. While others were trying to grow more vegetables per stalk, Bob was doing the opposite. He could see that labor, both the time it takes to hand harvest and the toll hard physical labor takes on workers, could be minimized in the long run if corn could be harvested by a machine. What we can all learn from Bob is no matter what the business, think of long-term efficiencies. Invest now in engineering, machines, systems, procedures and technology, and just like Bob, you'll reap the rewards.

HATTIE: If you want to learn more about what you have seen on this broadcast, go to Small Business School.org