I chose to run my own company mainly because I need to have some control over my life. Quite simply put, I never enjoyed working for other people because I never seemed to fit in with corporate culture. I'm somewhat of a loner and I like the feeling of being in control. I worked for various computer hardware and software companies before I realized that I had to be self-employed. My educational and work background is in electronics and high tech, although I was never passionate about technology.

I've seen other people in business who are egotistical and arrogant and like the fame and fortune. For me it's not so much of an ego thing or trying to prove myself to others, although the money is obviously very important. It's more about showing myself that I can be successful. I'm the front man for the company and handle all sales, marketing and public relations. But it's a family effort – I could never have come this far alone.

I'm passionate about the business we run because I love paper and books - the tactile feel of a beautiful pen on paper, the different grades, textures and binding methods. I love the way that our machines and employees turn piles of paper into useful products that can be used to write a beautiful poem, draw a great picture or remember an important event. These are products that don't sit and collect dust on shelves. They're affordable and actually useful. It would be hard for me to sell something that I didn't like.

The main challenge of running your own business is that you really can never rest completely because you have large fixed costs that always need to be paid. Then there's the fickle nature of purchasing agents, the reality of constantly being owed money, and machines breaking down. Money brings out the dark side of human nature and the bad side of good people.

Although business is generally a wild erratic ride, there is the feeling of setting a course and going with it. One description I've heard is "the feeling of being on a runaway stagecoach. If you jump off, you could land on a cactus, but if you stay on you don't know what could happen." In other words, you've made the choice to stay on without knowing the end result. Some might consider this insecure. But it can also be very exciting because of the unlimited possibilities. It's become a way of life that would be hard for me to give up. So I've put myself in a situation where there is no choice.

The huge possibilities and excitement are almost addictive – like the excitement I felt when we had our largest order. It came about after a big company that had noticed us, but ignored us for many years, suddenly realized we could deliver. I had discussed a volume price with a buyer and she actually ordered the volume. It was 10 times as large as we had ever shipped.

I feel a great sense of pride in growing our business from zero to where we are today. And we really did start from zero! I'm proud of how we nurtured an embryo of an idea into a larger entity and watched it grow in strength.

Because we started from nothing, we really appreciate having modern machines. In the beginning, an order for 100 books was exciting for us and would take the entire day to fill. Our first paper cutter was 70 years old, cost $900 and I had to get a loan to buy it! We now have a state-of-the-art, fully computerized cutter that operates all day long.

We also worked many late nights and weekends for a lot less than minimum wage. We couldn't think of any other way to do it. If you start a business with lots of money, the challenges are very different than if you start from nothing.

I think that taking a leap of faith is the best way to start a business, although education is important for knowledge and discipline. We have survived purely because we have hung in and never quit. You need determination, patience and the ability to learn wisely from your mistakes to survive.

Frankly the management courses I took, while good in theory, have little or no bearing on the real essence of business. I've found that the skills needed to survive are hustling like crazy, bending over backwards to give your customers what they want, working to exhaustion and begging your customers for money. Sounds crazy but that's the reality. It's down and dirty but I love it!