Most successful business owners start small and start young. Most of us admire the freedom and prosperity of people who own and operate their own businesses. Many of us either work in a small business or try creating one at some time in our lives.

As you get to know them, you'll find owners of small businesses often have a belief in God's guidance. The ones featured in this article have positive attitudes that allow them to keep going, even when times are really hard. They may not be among the rich upper crust of society, but they are abundant in enthusiasm and live full, activity-filled lives rich in meaning and promise.

The entrepreneurs included below display inspired ideas, initiative, drive and positive attitudes that help them practice visionary, vertical thinking. Their businesses are based on offering service that is profitable for both themselves and their customers. 

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Clark College student David Browning, 19, of Vancouver, Washington, found that getting a job after graduating from high school last year was tough. Competition was intense for low-wage jobs being filled by overqualified workers laid off in his region, hard hit in "the Great Recession."

His parents suggested he start his own business in the summer before college. He had been mowing the next-door neighbor's lawn. As he put it later, "Little did I know that this was going to be the gateway into starting my own business."

"The neighbor came to me soon after my parents' suggestion and said she had given my name and number to a friend in her Rotary Club who needed landscaping help. A few days later my phone rang"—and David then spoke with the potential customer. The two agreed upon a time for him to work.

The next day the man showed up in a nice-looking SUV. They had a pleasant conversation as David rode with him up to a big gate in an exclusive residential area. "I was awestruck as I looked at the huge mansion and noticed that the grounds were completely brown."

David knew it was a summer-long job. "This was the first stepping stone in the success of my summer business," he says.

"I never sent out any flyers or posted my number anywhere. My business simply took off by word of mouth between near strangers. I never expected that starting your own business could be so easy and so much fun."

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Seattle, Washington–area native Nathan Wetmore, 34, began working in construction as a child with his grandfather. He particularly liked cabinetry and saw the opportunity to introduce an entirely new product.

Nathan decided to become an independent businessman when he was 24. Since then, he's been a partner in a small general contracting company.

"Almost 10 years ago now, I set out to develop a countertop made from concrete and a business based on this idea. There were several companies selling competing products, so I intended to set myself apart from all of them. Most of the existing products on the market had some problems with quality. My product was eventually named Tekstone and has become a very refined product that's been featured in fine home-building magazines."

During the boom years of construction, Nathan created a unique place for himself in home remodeling and contracting. Now his reputation and specialized quality have helped him stay employed and profitable even in our "bust" real estate market—the worst for construction since the Great Depression.

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When he was 17, Cody Kitts started a tile business in St. Louis, Missouri. A very energetic and adventurous guy, Cody opened a tree service at age 22 and later began repossessing vehicles.

Regarding the latter, Cody explains, "I got bored and made a decision to buy a wrecker tow truck, eventually two, and began to learn lessons of what I did not want to do for the rest of my life. I got into auto and property repossessions when I was 23 because the money was so great. I hired another guy for the next three years. The job was based on high pressure, sleuthing and often deception in order to gain possession. I got good at it but learned there and then I only wanted to work in honest labor without any shadows of shadiness."

Cody had continued to do tree service on the side. So he got out of the repossession business and dedicated himself to building a tree service business. When he moved to Cincinnati, Ohio, to attend the Ambassador Bible Center, he continued offering tree service in his new location. Because he was so industrious, the business prospered from the start.

Cody says: "It's all about customer relations first and the trees second. When you get up every day and serve the needs of your customers well, they are your greatest advertisement for the rest of their lives." Cody has five men working for him now and says there's a lot to getting and completing each job. "You have to learn to sell yourself to the customer to be able to do the job the way he wants it done."

Business is booming, and his wife Bobbi works very hard just to keep up with the administration of the business while Cody is on the job. Cody loves the benefits of owning his own company. He says it gives him freedom, a good income and the ability to schedule time for work, for fun, for travel, for adventure and for serving others.

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In 2005, 23-year-old Kristina Crane decided to start her own business when a client wanted to hire her as a consultant. Though she was newly married and recently graduated from college, her husband Luke had confidence that she could be successful. He had run his own lawn mower repair business in college, so he encouraged her to take the risk with this one client.

Luke wanted to make it a family business and had a background in computers. So the couple decided to offer programming as one of the new company's services and worked together to build the business. "The decision was the right one, and we are doing well."

Luke cautions, "Running your own business takes a lot of additional work and fortitude but is definitely worth the effort if done with thoughtful care and planning." He says it's important to work out the right legal structure and that "it's very important to research" all aspects of your business model. For more helpful advice from him, see "Pointers for a Successful Start-Up".

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If you would like to operate your own business, consider whether you're willing to make the sacrifices and commitment necessary to be successful. With hard work, proper principles and steps, and God's blessing, perhaps you too can have a successful business. VT