Tales of an American Entrepreneur

About the Book

I am writing this book so that you may learn from my experience as a successful small-business owner. I tell you many of my best practices covering advertising, marketing, financials, leasing retail space, hiring and training quality employees, what to do when you lose key employees, how to borrow money, and many other key areas of business that relate directly to the small-business entrepreneur.

I am writing this book to help anyone who wants to open a business or is already in business as well as anyone that wants more from their career. I will also tell you about how to start saving and investing. If you want to purchase a home I will show you how to get a better deal on the house and the mortgage.

Two things that drive me are the thrill of growth and the fear of failure.

About the Author

My name is Michael Randazzo, and for the past sixteen years, I have owned a salon/spa. My business has just been recognized as one of the Charlotte, North Carolina, region’s top fifty fastest-growing companies. This award was printed in the December 4, 2009, edition of the Charlotte Business Journal and is also included in the Book of Lists. To be considered for this award, businesses must have been open at least from 2006 to 2008 and have revenue of at least one million dollars for 2008. Out of the top fifty, we ranked number thirty-two.

About two weeks after receiving the top fifty award, I received an e-mail confirming another award; we made the Top 200 Fastest-Growing Salons in North America! This is the fourth time we have been honored with this award. The top two hundred was published in the January 2010 edition of Salon Today magazine. For both awards, businesses must submit documentation to prove revenue.

I have been an investor for almost two decades, doing day trades as well as short- and long-term positions in stocks and mutual funds. I have been involved in multiple commercial and residential real estate deals. I speak publicly to groups of up to about 180 people. I have been on the board of educational directors for two area trade schools. I have been nominated twice for the Global Salon Entrepreneur of the Year award.

I absolutely love my life and am blessed to have a wonderful family and a great business.

My wife, Lisa, and I have been married for seventeen years, and we have two daughters. I place God at the center of my life. My favorite book is the Holy Bible. I keep my marriage sacred, and live she and I and then the world. My family comes first. I think of what they want before what I want. Work comes before play, and yes, I manage to do it all. To sum it up: God first, then family, then work, and then world.

We live in a middle-class neighborhood and have managed our finances to be essentially debt-free. We are currently thinking about taking advantage of the devastated housing market and purchasing our dream home.

I am writing this book so that you may learn from my experience as a successful small-business owner. I tell you many of my best practices covering advertising, marketing, financials, leasing retail space, hiring and training quality employees, what to do when you lose key employees, how to borrow money, and many other key areas of business that relate directly to the small-business entrepreneur. Two things that drive me are the thrill of growth and the fear of failure.