My wife and I had been married for two years. I was working for my father-in-law. I was making $1,000 a month, with no health care insurance and no retirement program. (To see what $1,000 was in today's money, use the Inflation Calculator here: www.bls.gov.)

I had just returned from a conference where I had spoken. A man I knew had pulled me aside and had asked me why I wasn't publishing a newsletter. He was a newsletter editor/publisher.

I had no good answer. I decided on my flight back to start a twice-monthly 4-page letter. I decided to call it Remnant Review. (Today, Remnant Review is a 12-page monthly.)

My wife and I started that letter in May, 1974. My father-in-law let me advertise it in his newsletter. I put in an insert. I offered a free sample issue. Then I mailed a subscription form along with the free sample. That got me start me in the newsletter business.

My wife and I sat in the living room of our rented house and stuffed envelopes. I had bought a hand-activated stamp- dispensing machine. There was a roll of 100 stamps in the machine, plus a damp sponge. Ka-thunk, ka-thunk: we got into the newsletter business.

It cost me only printing and postage costs to get started. I got this money back and more from the subscription offer. I have never looked back.

I think about that decision every once in a while. What if I had not started my newsletter? I would be approaching retirement today with no business to fall back on. I would be worried about the solvency of Social Security, Medicare, and my pension fund (if any).

I published my first direct-mail book in 1977, based on a compilation of Remnant Review issues. I sold 20,000 of them, I think, at $10 each. It may have been 30,000. I forget.

My newsletter led to my job on a Congressional staff in Washington. One of my subscribers, Dr. Ron Paul, got elected in 1976. He hired me.

I have published almost 100 books, half of them I wrote. I have expended into the Web.

Had I not risked a few hundred dollars in 1974, my life would have been very different and far less productive.

I learned from experience what the authors of The Millionaire Next Door learned from surveying rich Americans: most millionaires in the United States made their money in a small business.

I am a strong advocate of home businesses. I have a Home Business department on this site. I will help you get started.

Meanwhile, don't forget to subscribe to my free Tip of the Week report, which is sent every Saturday morning. The sign-up box is on the Home page.