The concept of Standing on the Shoulders of Giants is believed to date back to the 11th century, "If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants." This quote has been attributed to Sir Isaac Newton since it appeared in a letter he wrote to fellow English scientist Robert Hooke that was dated 5 February in either 1675 or 1676.

My Mentors have been:

• Minister Sally Houston– My mother stood ten feet tall, a Prison Crusade Advocate, Kindergarden Teacher, Minister, doting Mom and Loving Wife who taught me early the most valuabe assest of all; Spirituality

• Mr. Winston Johnson-Founder, Winsonic Digital Media Group who inspired me to think OUTside the box and the value of forward thinking

• Mike Aiyette-Entrepreneur, Technology guru who helped me beleive in my technical ability with encouragment

See how four women got rich by following their passions, and learn how you can do it, too.

BY Tanisha A. Sykes Essence April 2009

TINA WELLS, BUZZ MARKETING MILLIONAIRE AT: 25

BEST ADVICE: "The key to entrepreneurial success is to find your passion. When things get tough-and they do-that seems to push me through."

FRAN HARRIS, Fran Harris Enterprises, LLC, Fran Harris Entertainment, Harris Real Estate Partners, LLC

MILLIONAIRE AT: 37

BEST ADVICE: "First study what multimillionaires do-and then do it. Get a coach in thea area where you want to excel. Create multimple streams of income, and get your slice of the huge Internet marketplace pie."

ELON BOMANI, BOMANI'S VILLAGE ENTERPRISES, THEDYNAMICDIVA.COM, PAPYRUS PUBLISHING, GOOD CREDIT CONSULTANTS LLC

MILLIONAIRE AT: 35

BEST ADVICE: "Don't get wealth

CONNI EVANS, THE ANCON GROUP, LLC

MILLIONAIRE AT: 38

BEST ADVICE: "Look for something you're good at when you go into business. And don't believe what other people say about you. You have to define your own worth."

You heard it here. Out of the mouth of Millionaires.

Lukeither Willingham

Becoming a "B"

GROW YOUR FIRM TO $1BILLION

The article basically sums of the Seven Essentials to ask yourself for taking your company to billionaire status.

Millionaire To Billionaire By Tiffany Meyers / Pink Magazine

• Break through the ordinary

o What “breakthrough value proposition” do I offer my customers to provide emotionally resonate benefits (life changing)?

• Get Marquee Customers

o A successful relationship with customers, vendors and retail outlets can attribute recognition to your business because they become strong advocates. What marquee customers do I have relationships with?

• Exploit a High-Growth Market

o Focus on existing high-growth sectors. No need to reinvent the wheel.

• Make it a family Affair

o Big brother or sister alliances help gain priceless credibility and market intelligence by providing a broader reach and therefore develop marquee customers.

• Maintain positive cash flow

o Focus on high returns on invested capital and high revenue growth.

• Are lead by a “Dynamic Duo”

o In that duo, the “inside facing” leader focuses on internal matters like operations. The “outside-facing” leader builds relationships with customers, partners and the community.

• Assemble the right Board

o Blueprint company boards include alliance partners, community members, customer’s representatives and a CEO who’s previously taken a company to a billion.

To sum it up: According to Mary Petrovich, CEO, Axletech International, without drive, passion and resilience, success~not to mention a billion in revenue~will forever remain a dream, particular for women.

“You’ll fail if your intention is to be the best woman at what you do,” says Petrovich, “but if your goal is to be the best at what you do~flat-out, period~you’ll win.” I challenge you to set these goals for yourself for 2010 and see how soon you can accomplish each of them. I assure you, it can be done.

Resource: Pink Magazine, Finally a magazine for Professional Women.

He shared how he once lived a successful life and how he lost everything he owned (his home, cars, etc) and the last thing he possessed was his iPod and he's now homeless and most days he would sit at a certain bench in front of a well-known hotel in Buckhead, GA, daily.

He’s only 40 years young, however, despite his successful past and his education he had given up hope.

After our brief conversation I did some deep soul searching and staring in the face of harsh reality I finally decided to accept the fact that I'm also at ground zero and the wonderful thing about being at ground zero that that the only place to go from here is up. I had to accept the fact that there's nothing embarrassing about needing help from others and deserving a life jacket being tossed out to you, the only shame is not realizing when you've been given another chance to use your talents and gifts to make the world a better place and you don't.

As jobs continue to be cut and the stability of the economy continues to waiver, don't forget that as you're enduring the throws of the recession, you have a gift that needs cultivating and nurtured to fruition. Take advantage of your downtime reconnect spiritually, reach out to help someone else and take time for yourself to brush-up on your skill or to learn a new skill.

Remember never, never, never give up, no matter how things appear to look keep an open mind becasue you never know what form your live jacket will come in and continue to take small steps to reach your goals and celebrate even small success.

Come back often for Wealth Building Tips,

"Success is a journey, take flight!"

Lukeither Willingham, CEO

Lukeither Multimedia & Design

12/2/2009