To help more than 50 second graders learn basic economic and business principles, my daughter's elementary school held a bazaar where each student sells goods and services to their classmates.

Both of my grandfathers were entrepreneurs, men who started and ran one or more small businesses to support their families. They didn't create huge companies, but built lifestyle businesses that added value to themselves and the economy.

With 2012 just around the corner, here are the most popular CFOwise blog posts viewed in 2011. Please note that the year of original publishing is listed in parentheses after the title.

INTRODUCTION

At the Dental Trade Alliance Meeting last month I listened to Ram Charan, highly-sought after consultant to Fortune 500 CEOs and co-author of Game-Changer: How You Can Drive Revenue and Profit Growth with Innovation, talk about converting ideas into innovation.

Last week I shared a story told by Cal Ripken, Jr. that illustrated how mentors can improve outcomes.

Earlier this month I enjoyed listening to a baseball hero of mine, Cal Ripken, Jr., talk to a room full of business executives.

I am reading The Machine that Changed the World, which tells the story of how Toyota innovated the from the mass production methods to lean manufacturing, disrupting the automotive industry to become one of its most dominant players.

There is a lot of chatter about how small businesses and entrepreneurs are the backbone of the economy, and many have commented on how both are the best chance we have at regaining economic strength as a country and throughout the world. Most universities now offer, through their business schools, areas of emphasis in entrepreneurship.

With four young children in tow more than five years ago, my wife and I gave a child-themed haircut establishment a try. It seemed like letting the kids play video games during a routine haircut was a great idea, and our older boys loved it.

Starting and running a small business (less than $1 million in annual sales) is a lot different than running a bigger business. A founder that breaks through that $1 million in annual sales barrier often finds many challenges waiting for him or her on the other side, and parting with old habits to embrace a new way of doing and seeing things is harder than it originally appears.

Have you ever felt the sick feeling in your stomach associated with not being able to cash flow a payroll that is due in 24 hours? If so, you are not alone. In fact, most entrepreneurs I know have experienced this, usually more often than they care to admit.

Hats off to the entrepreneurs of the world. Starting a business is just flat-out hard work, full of adversity, anxiety, ego, regulation, and so much more.

My recent article 4 Indulgences Your Business Can't Afford must have really struck a chord with the readers of American Express OPEN Forum®. It ranked in the top five of all articles for the week in total visits, unique visitors, and more.