Business Fundamentals I Learned at $4.25 an Hour

My first job was working concessions at our small-town movie theater. It paid $4.25 an hour and required customer service, handling cash, serving food, and following an exceedingly detailed inventory and cash drawer procedure at the start and end of every shift.

It didn’t seem like much to a 16-year-old. But after 30 years in the workforce — and now running a multiple six-figure service business — I think about that job all the time. It was the essence of small business.