Seaford, Delaware: In this episode of the show, we'll find out what Fabergé Eggs, a first draft of the Declaration of Independence, the first baseball, Marilyn Monroe's dress, and priceless works of art all have in common.

Light.

If you have a precious, original object, be it art or an artifact, you do not want ultraviolet (UV) light or infra red (IR) light to be penetrating its essence. And, with NoUVIR's lighting there is none - zip, zero, nada. Thus, the name of this business, No-UV-IR (pronounced "new-veer"). No UV or IR is a safer, more energy-efficient, lighting system that came out of the minds of two people.

Meet Ruth Ellen Miller and her ever-inventive father and business partner, Jack Miller.

Their small business has the foundations to become a billion dollar business.

How would you like to have a conversation about photons? It is very possible and quite welcomed in this business. These people love light. And at the heart of light is a photon, and deep within the photon, they can actually see the meaning and value of life.

Ruth Ellen was the Small Business Person of the Year from the great state of Delaware. From our first state and second smallest state; she and her father- inventor- business partner are making a huge impact on the way we see the light -- from our understanding of the very nature of it, to the ways we actually use it to illuminate precious works of art and priceless documents and artifacts.

These two have become points of light themselves.

They take you you inside their beautiful Victorian home -- and behind the scenes -- to see more fiber optic high-tech wizardry tucked behind walls, under floors, and in the ceilings. This home is so tastefully lighted it also serves as a demonstration center of their entire product line. It convinced Colonial Williamsburg to adopt their lighting!

Here small business is again changing the way we see the world and this business is on the forefront to bring new products to market. Ruth is driven by fine art; Jack, who began his career at Cal Tech as an engineer-scientist, is always seeking the edge of scientific inquiry and truth.

These people are changing the way the museums around the world put light on precious objects. Soon, they just may change the lighting we use throughout our offices and homes. Here is a true 21st century business that will help perserve art work for an eternity and energy forever.

CONTACT:
NoUVIR Research
Highway 13 / RR4 Box 748
Seaford, DE 19973
Tel: 302-628-9933
Fax: 302-628-9932

Email: Click here
URL: http://www.nouvir.com

We invite your COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS.

• GO FURTHER: Spend some time with the ten key points of the case study guide (just above in the green box) and each of the related transcript segments.

• STEP 1: "I'm Going to Start a Business. If you are not in business for yourself and you wish you were, you have to at least say these words to another person. It is the first step and a big step.
  
  NoUVIR is at STEP 6; they are experiencing consistent growth and they are on the edge of several basic breakthroughs so their lighting begins to rival all other lighting for its "green" qualities.

• Business Type: You can study other episodes of the show by industry, i.e. Ruth Ellen and Jack are in many business sectors including education, electrical, energy, engineering, and manufacturing.

• READ THE BOOK: The Fire of Invention by Michael Novak. Today's concept of a corporation has its roots within the American revolution.

• NoUVIR: Small Business Person of the Year from the State of Delaware and a national runner-up for Small Business of the Year with the US Chamber of Commerce.

• JOIN, JOIN, JOIN: Your professional associations in your industry are your key to continuing education, market research, collaborations, strategic partnerships, capital and so much more ... often you'll find that you enjoy like-minded people and many will become friends for life. For every business type in the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) there is a national trade association. Look yours up in your favorite search engine (like Google).
  
  To learn more about the lighting business (particularly for museums), contact their national associations:
  • American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works
  • Illuminating Engineering Society of North America
  • American Association of Musuems

• NATIONAL TRADE ASSOCIATIONS

• Exit Strategy and Succession Planning. 70% of all businesses fail to pass the baton to the next generation. They fail to reach sustainability beyond their personality. That business is called a lifestyle business.
  
  If you want to be rewarded for all your hard work, by the time you hit 40 years of age, you had better have some ideas about your own exit strategy and a succession plan. By 50 years old, you should have the basic elements in place. By 55, we all should be working on it. By 60, we need to be harvesting some of our equity (ESOP - DPO - IPO). In the key point of the study guide just above, review points 5 and 6.

• FIRST PRINCIPLES: Starting a business is the road to economic independence for most of us average people. Read a little more to see why incorporating a business keeps the passion of the American revolution alive!

• FIND YOUR STEP AND CHART A COURSE TO THE NEXT. If you already have a business, explore Steps 5 - 8. If you’re just getting started, spend time going through Steps 1 - 4. Three-dimensional business modelling is part of our research of critical ratios.

• SUPPORT PUBLIC TELEVISION:
  Become a member of your local station. If you are already, great. If not and your business is doing well, consider joining the Producers' Club ($1000).

• MORE ABOUT FINANCES. We have a section about money and it can be useful. BUT -- and this is a big one -- we all need to know about RMA --The Risk Management Association. This is real insiders information on your financials so take note.
  
  This organization is the banker's banker. They know more about key critical ratios than anybody on earth. Over 3000 banks and 16000 other kinds of financial organizations contribute the essential financial data from their loan inventory to RMA's "Annual Statement Studies" to calculate key critical ratios for every major industry type (and for most subsets of business vis-a-vis the SIC and NAICS). With over 150,000 loans per year, that is statistical relevancy.
  
  Do you know the average key ratios within your industry? We haven't learned ours yet for the TV/Production Industry, so we all need to ask our banker. To really make a study of it, keep an eye out for the next seminar by RMA in your area. It'll be the best money you'll spend to understand the organic nature of your business, and learn what it is that your banker so quickly knows about your industry. For more, read online: RMA seminars, RMA history, and their small business scoring (i.e. used by the SBA for their Low Docs).
  
  If you'd like to study the history behind the RMA (it goes back to Robert Morris, a signer of the Declaration of Independence), click here.