The way that our credit scores are actually calculated is "top secret." No one seems to know exactly how they are calculated — and that means that no one can actually take decisive action to improve one's score. It's a system that penalizes entrepreneurs because we use credit in our businesses so our scores are necessarily lower compared to employees of corporations who tend to have less debt attached to their credit report. Nevertheless, no matter who you are, your credit score is probably suffering from the disastrous economy that has overcome all of us in the last six or nine months.

During the course of a year, I host or moderate more than 50 substantial networking functions. These are highly social but intensely business-oriented functions where millions and millions of dollars worth of business gets done. Networking is much more than business owners getting together to trade war stories. Networking is about understanding the people who you network with and getting them to understand you so that you each can present opportunities to the other when the time arises.