Once you find something you love to do, be the best at doing it.

We are here for a reason. We all have a gift or gifts to share.

We knew we loved making cookies and every time we did, we made people happy. That was our business plan.

I had always been taught that life was the other way around -- that you had to make sure you got what was coming to you . . .

Once you find something you love to do, be the best at doing it.

What really fueled me, and maybe infuriated me, is that nobody believed in me. Nobody. I don't even think I believe in myself. Part of what I was trying to do was to make the decision to go into business and find the guts to see it through. I was told that when I went in to see the bankers that I was supposed to be very muted, that I was supposed to blend in, that I was supposed to have the typical drab suit on.

Never give up. The bankers and financial people did not take me seriously initially. Everyone thought I would fail. My attitude was that 'No' is an unacceptable answer when it comes to financing.