I am a small business and self-improvement junkie. I faithfully read Success, Entrepreneur, and Inc. magazines, subscribe to several small business ezines, and regularly haunt the business section at Barnes & Noble. Despite truckloads of information dumped into my brain, I have never felt like I measured up to the lofty accomplishments of the people in those glossy magazines. I love my job (what entrepreneur would ever admit that?) and have a little home-based business to supplement my income. I don’t have any employees, my office is a small 8x8 room that I share with my kids when they are doing homework, and my face will probably never appear on any magazine covers. So who am I?

I am a micropreneur! Hear me roar! While quietly going about my business I am building a healthy income, creating security for my retirement years (which will come early, thanks to all this hard work), living without debt, and fulfilling my goals and dreams. I have no fear of lay offs or downsizing. I have no overhead to speak of. I face each new day with confidence and enthusiasm because my life has meaning and purpose. This is fun!

There are thousands upon thousands of people just like me all over the United States. We have played a key role in America’s bountiful prosperity throughout our nation’s history. When people around the globe think of the American dream, they do not picture coming here to enter the Dilbert zone. No, they expect to find success like that enjoyed by Muhammed, a client of mine from Morocco. When I met him, he and his brothers were driving cabs in Denver. Their two cars combined had over 700,000 miles on them! They worked their butts off! They also owned free and clear!) a 3,000 square foot home, bought 150 acres of mountain property from me, and opened a Moroccan restaurant! That’s the American dream! Muhammed and his brothers are micropreneurs.

Our great land has always been synonymous with opportunity. That is more true today than ever before! Technology has created the means of reaching people all over the world for pennies. The internet is a gold mine whose potential has just begun to be tapped. Innovations in marketing and distribution have given us little guys unprecedented access to every product imaginable. I always dreamed of owning a bookstore—now I do! It is easier to create a profitable business today than ever before.

Despite the roaring economy, many people are losing confidence in their own future. Just this year, five of my closest friends were downsized out of their companies. One day they were reading the real estate section of the paper, planning their next step up. The next they were studying the classifieds, desperately looking for a job to pay their bills. They live in constant stress, enjoying the good life while they have it, but always on the lookout for the next job because they never know when the ax will fall.

Forget that! As my business grows, my security grows. My future is in my hands. As a micropreneur, I have the best of both worlds. I have a regular job as a youth pastor, making a regular paycheck to mentor and encourage teenagers. I love my work. Don’t tell my church, but I love it so much that I would do it for free! And I have my business, giving me an outlet for my creativity and energy, and a healthy addition to my regular income. Business is great! Someday I will be doing youth ministry for free because the regular paycheck will no longer be necessary. My dream is a large home in the Pacific Northwest with land and the room to host needy teens who need a place to be loved. I’m on my way!

What’s your dream? Have you made any discernable progress to seeing it become reality? I believe that becoming a micropreneur is the best way to create the future you envision for yourself. All you have to do is open your eyes, begin to dream, peruse the shelves of your local bookstore, check online and find the opportunity that is right for you. Now is the time for you to succeed! It is the Age of the Micropreneur!

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