Last Update: Thursday November 20, 2008

To Start, Run and Grow a Business Requires Courage and Tenacity.

Bread ... the staff of life for the millennium

PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND: Calise & Sons Bakery began back in 1908. The father gave up the reins to his four sons and they just about ran that business into the ground.

Three grandchildren came to the rescue. They bought the business, retired the debt, and built a business beyond everyone's wildest expectations.

Calise & Sons Bakery now serve most of New England, New York and Pennsylvania and increasingly they'll be serving the world. Big chains and grocery stores -- The Olive Garden, Shaws and Albertsons -- depend on them. But, you know, even with such success, it is just not easy.

The three Calise Brothers make bread from the same recipes their grandfather brought from Italy and it took them nearly 30 years at the helm to bring this company back from the brink.

These three brothers learned on the job. No MBAs yet their management practices are now case studies in major business textbooks. The adoption of technology and the acquisition of competitors have fueled growth and prosperity. These owners quickly learned a key big business secret; that is, you can grow by acquiring your competitor. All the Key Ideas & Video...

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Our best businesses also have integrity and a bit of genius*

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	In the opening of every episode of the show (weekly since September 3, 1994) you hear, "Everybody has an idea for a business but how do you take that idea from mind to market. This is the place to learn." Key Question: How do I start a business?"
	We all lost over $600 billion last year! Let's regain some integrity and real respect of intellectual property. There is a pandemic of lying, cheating and stealing. The pied pipers of piracy truly have gotten the upper hand. Key Question: What is a path for growth?
	She bought the ugly duckling nobody wanted. The location was losing money, but she nurtured her little Chevrolet dealership to health. Everybody gasped; her duckling had become the most beautiful swan in the country! Read Pamela Rodgers' story... how she failed twice and then came back to win.
	We all have to sell our businesses all the time! There will come a point when we should be looking at taking our equity out while leaving the operational values in. There are eight ways to exit one's business. At the very beginning we should all have some ideas about what our end game will be. Learn all eight possible ways! Key Question: Who is the best buyer? Prior homepage (go back several seasons)

*Your sliver of genius

In the earliest days of the broadcasts of this show (back in 1994-1995), there was a special segment called "the Sliver of Genius." Then we began to realize virtually every successful business is built on that special focus.