Here was Lupe, just back from the Army, gainfully employed as a bookkeeper and engaged to be married. He probably wasn't impassioned with the thought of office supplies and perhaps he had never even thought about owning his own business. But there was Jim, presenting the opportunity.

Topic for discussion: What drives a person to give up the security of a full time job for the opportunity to be a business owner?

Answer: Freedom. Freedom to be your own boss, make your own decisions, do things your own way. Joy. The joy of creating something that is truly yours. Entrepreneurs are creative and innovative; they are fearless in their willingness to experiment, to try new ideas. Exhilaration. The rush of your successes in knowing that you did it, you really, really did it.

Topic for discussion: What are the risks/rewards of being a business owner?

Answer: The biggest risk is the risk of failure. Loss of security, literally not knowing the size of your next paycheck, or if there will be one! The potential struggle of those early years as you grow your business can be enormously stressful. What if Irene had said "no" to Lupe's loan request and he had not had the money for that week's payroll? What would he have done? How long could he have lasted without returning to his job as an accountant? And how would he have felt if he had to?

Fortunately, these are all rhetorical questions. But the possibilities were real. Business ownership is not for the fainthearted. Four out of five small businesses fail. But the rewards to the one in five that is successful are enormous, and the contemplation of those rewards is enticement enough to many of us.

You think about it: What should you jump into? What should you jump out of?