Me - A marketing major, classes were interrupted by the Vietnam war, where I showed bravery in battle and did my duty.

Unfortunately, that bravery didn't carry over to my new insurance sales career in Los Angeles, after my honorable discharge.

Cold calls made me break out in a cold sweat.  I once found myself driving around the block several times before getting the courage to knock on a door where I had an appointment!

I averaged reading two books a week for the first three months, trying to learn the art of selling.  Two dozen books and I was still lowest ranking salesman in the office by the end of that third month.

In fact, they tried to fire me but I offered to stay on for commission-only, which at that point meant zero pay.  My wife, for the first and only time in our marriage, had to get a job.

But the fourth month found me selling insurance and I ended the month in second place (out of about thirty-some sales people) and ended the year in first place.

I went on to new car sales, used car sales and to owning my own computer stores for nearly two decades before moving on to web development and now, finally back to sales and marketing by way of web consulting.

I'm sure I've read well over a hundred books on sales, marketing, advertising, communication theory and copywriting during that time.  In fact, I'm reading several books right now. A real education, is never "complete".

Jean (my wife) - A former school teacher in New York, she built and managed a small business for two decades with her late husband.  Jean does usability testing and helps keep things "real".

David (my son) - a self-employed network consultant, when asked, gives me a no-nonsense, hard-boiled assessment of websites from a busy, business person's point of view.

Eric (grandson) - who has started his own web development business, gives us the youth view and opinion.