This year kicks off my 15th year in business. In 1999, I was 26; I had a laptop, a fax machine and a dream. I started Quintessence Entertainment, Inc. in the basement of my house. It started out as a content development company, and later morphed into a marketing consulting firm Quintessence Group. Today, we work with Fortune 500 corporations who target small business customers.  

Over the years, I have had the opportunity to work with the top companies in this nation, become a bestselling author, write for some of our nation’s most well-respected media publications and travel the world as America’s #1 Small Business Expert sharing advice to fulfill my mission to end small business failure. I am very humbled that my work helps people live their dreams.

Thinking back over it now feels like I got started 100 years ago. Technology has changed so much about business. We now have Google search, Twitter, Wi-Fi, remote banking, virtual teams, smartphones and mobile apps. These technological advances changed my life and my business over the last 15 years.

Here are the three biggest lessons I learned over the years.

1. You must plan for success, it will not just happen to you.
2. Your network is your net worth.
3. You never lose in business, either you win or you learn.

As part of my 15^th anniversary celebration, I’m launching SmallBizLady’s #15daysofgiveaways Contest. From March 5^th to March 25^th, 2014, every business day, I will give away one prize to help you take your small business to the next level.  To enter, you must sign up for my email list to qualify for the contest.

Each business day, starting March 5, 2014 you will receive an email describing the giveaway of the day and a special message that you will need to post and share on Twitter or my Facebook fan page.

The contest will run daily between noon EST and 6pm EST. You can only post the special message once per day. Anyone who posts more than one per day will be disqualified. A winner will be selected daily at random.  All posts must include the hashtag #15daysofgiveaways. Review the contest rules here.

I‘m giving away some amazing stuff from major brands including Google, Sam’s Club, The UPS Store, Infusionsoft, Nextiva, Plantronics, Duda Mobile, GoDaddy and Staples. You’ll also have the chance to win one-on-one coaching from me. Click here for a complete list of the giveaway prizes and sponsors.

For further details, about SmallBizLady’s 15 Days of Giveaway Contest, click onto succeedasyourownboss.com/15daysofgiveaways