Happy New Year everyone. The D*S half of the BizBox will come out of holiday hibernation next Monday while I prepare the next pieces and finish some work on the D*S shop and blog. I'll be back next Monday with three new posts and new resources for small business owners.

It’s a New Year. Hooray! What happened to 2006? 2006 felt like one of the fastest years on record—for me anyway. Twenty years ago, I first jumped into the entrepreneurial world. My obsessive personality wanted to learn everything. I ordered some tapes by the guy who made the Potato Gun and the Ant Farm popular (Joe Cossman).

My first venture was importing watches from Hong Kong. I didn’t even know where Hong Kong was on the map! This was long before email and fax machines. I ordered a catalog that listed Hong Kong companies, found a company that made watches and mailed them a letter. In a few weeks, a product catalog arrived. I couldn’t believe it. I could buy a digital watch that played Beethoven for three dollars! I scrounged up $200 and placed the order. About six weeks later, the watches arrived. I was working full time at W.L. Gore and began selling the watches for $6-7 each. They sold like hot cakes! Soon I was importing pens with clocks and calculators.

Although that venture didn’t last too long, I was hooked. About three months later, I met my business partner David. He was building small wind generators. I saw the potential and off we went. No plan, no money, just a dream.

Growing our business over the last 20 years has been a life of constant struggle, sleepless nights and excitement. We lost everything once but struggled and clawed to keep the business going. If you asked us, would we do it again without any knowledge of the outcome? In a heartbeat! Certainly, this business has been a unique one. We have been all over the world, met Presidents of countries and people of villages where our products are used.

So what does it take to be an entrepreneur? Is it something in the blood or can anyone be one? There is a lot written on the subject and everyone has their own view. These are mine:

1) Willingness to gamble – I don’t mean the Vegas style. A good friend of mine said “Andy, if you are not riding the edge, you are taking up too much room.” This is what really separates entrepreneurs from the rest. Life can throw you uncertainty. If you’re able to live with no guarantee of a paycheck, or the possibility of not making next month’s rent, then check this one off!

2) Passion – If you want be in business because you think you’ll get rich, think again. You must love what you’re doing. If you’re passionate, you’ll be rewarded. If you’re just chasing the all-mighty dollar, the riches will be illusive. Are you passionate?

3) An inquisitive spirit - In the beginning, I couldn’t tell you where Hong Kong was on a map. Today, I can tell you the market opportunity for our products in every country in the world, where the country is, and what our strategy would be to develop the market. I am constantly reading, learning and expanding my mind to understand how to build our business. Knowledge is power, drop the People magazine subscription and pick up Inc. If you can do this, then keep going.

4) An extroverted personality – You must get to know your industry and be in the middle. Work on committees. Gain respect in your community. The more you are out there, the better your chances of success. Note: You don’t have to be an extrovert to be an entrepreneur, but more entrepreneurs are extroverts.

5) Persistence – This is a tough one, but absolutely essential. I’m a “glass-half-full” guy. That means no matter how tough today might be, I know tomorrow will bring new opportunities. I think 3-5 years ahead of our business, knowing that if I get through today and tomorrow, I’ll soon reach my goals.

6) Hunger – I think Steve Jobs said it first. When spending money, don’t buy the best, buy what works. Keep your overhead as low as possible without adversely affecting your business. Always be hungry means that even when your business is off the ground and doing well, don’t be complacent. Are you frugal? If not, be sure you have a lot of money to start with.

7) A knack for numbers – I said earlier, you don’t want to be in business to make money. However, you do want to manage the money in your business. Hire a good accountant; learn the basics of your balance sheet. Manage your cash, or your business will manage you!

8) Planning – I wrote our first business plan in 1988. I had never written one before. I read the right books and got to work. I won’t say it was my best work, but it was my guide to knowing where to go. Now, every year we plan for the next. A good business plan helps lead the way.

So now it is 2007 – What are you going to do this year? Have you made your resolutions? Is becoming an entrepreneur one of them? If you have what it takes, then go for it. You only live once. Make it memorable.

Lately I've been going through a quarter- life crisis of sorts. I started Design*Sponge in 2004 and for the past three years I've spent a good 10-12 hours a day in front of a computer working or blogging on the site (not to mention countless late nights and weekends spent endlessly brainstorming new ideas). During that time period my professional duties expanded to include a weekly newspaper column, a gig as a freelance style editor, writing for a slew of publications and eventually taking on a job as a consultant with a major shelter magazine. I was so thrilled to be doing work I loved that I rarely stopped to think about over extending myself and what pacing means to a business. I figured why not add more content to the site while I was at it? Why not add a guest blog, podcasts, interviews, neighborhood guides and heck, why not a shop? It all seemed like a good idea and it's certainly been a fulfilling way to spend the past few years- but what do you do when you wake up and realize that you're tired? New ideas aren't coming as quickly, or when they do they just don't feel right. What do you do in any business when you're doing well and your audience is happy, but you've lost that motivation to keep pushing things faster and further? Well my friends, welcome to my rut. I like to think it's only temporary so I set out to explore the topic here in hopes that I might be able to talk myself out of my own rut.

Some of you may have noticed (and JW probably noticed with glee) that I took a rather extended hiatus from posting here at Slate. Quite frankly, I couldn't think of anything to else to say. When it comes to business I'm a pretty fly by the seat of my pants type of girl and I like to keep things spur-of-the-moment. While that doesn't necessarily indicate a lack of experience or knowledge, it doesn't exactly lend itself to a lot of formal business plans to pass on. The way I've managed my business (the website, shop and consulting services) has gotten me where I am today, but as I look around, I feel like I've arrived at a plateau- and I'm not the only one here. Whether you're a writer, consultant, designer, teacher or shop-owner, you know what it feels like to hit that proverbial wall. You're tired, can't think of any new ideas and quite frankly, you start to think you might not care about finding new ideas. Thankfully this plateau looks familiar- I've been here before. At least a few times a year I think about closing up shop and going to do something completely different (culinary school, a graduate program, running away to work at a cheese shop in Montmartre) but I always manage to find a way to pull myself out and find a new project that excites me and makes things new again. How did I get out? I rely upon a series of time-tested methods for dragging myself out of business-boredom. (They may be basic but believe me, if you're on my plateau, you know that it helps to see even a single step leading you up and out)

1. Get Away: It goes without saying that a day (or 10) spent away from your office, computer or regular day job goes a long way. If you haven't given yourself some time to decompress and let your mind reboot, do so immediately. I usually find that my best ideas come to me when I'm not thinking about work, but instead about which sand dune looks coziest for a nap.

2. Talk to your Peers: Having a support group that understands your particular business is invaluable. If you run a gallery, talk to other gallery owners. Run a bakery? Make friends who do the same thing and tell them about your issues. Let your guard down and be honest- we've all been in the same place and sometimes admitting you're scared and totally drained is the best time to let your friends build you back up. They're bound to have some new ideas and if nothing else, getting all that worry off your shoulders sure feels better.

3. Hit The Streets: Well, maybe not the actual streets but your phone and email account. Every business has two personalities that are extremely helpful when it comes to rut-escaping: clients and customers. Talk to your favorite clients, customers and trusted business regulars- these are the people who understand your core mission and who can help you get back on track. They may not hand you the answer to your problem but they may say something that sparks a new idea or solution to a current problem. Knowing what your audience wants and needs is always a good way to gauge your next step.

4. Research, Research, Research: I don't think I can stress enough the power of a simple web search when it comes to busting out of the worst business rut. Open up your laptop and see what your peers, competitors and fellow business people are doing. For example, if you're a chef, pick up some food magazines, go out to eat, read food blogs, take a cooking class- see what's being done, who's doing it well and see if those methods and ideas have a place at your organization. But don't take that too literally- no one likes a copy cat. Use other people's good ideas as a jumping off point for yourself and see if you can spin a successful idea into one that is uniquely yours.

5. Learn New Tricks: That whole thing about old dogs not learning new tricks thing is total crap. Get out there and see what new tools, technologies and techniques exist in your field. If you're a blogger check out what podcasting, video casting and interactive surveys can do for your site. If you're a shop owner look into e-commerce options and hosting conferences that will connect you to your core audience. Learning a new skill or a new way to connect with your clients is one of the best ways to perk up your business.

6. Surround Yourself Inspiring People: This means different things to different people but it's one of the most important steps. Whether it's a getaway with the girls, attending a conference of talented business women or simply a visit to a museum that houses the artists who inspired your gallery, take the time to be around people that are doing what you want to do. Their enthusiasm and stories of perseverance will help you remember why you started your company in the first place.

7. Pace yourself: If steps 1-6 have you brimming with new ideas and ready to roll, remember that you don't necessarily have to roll them all out at once. Pacing is important to any business so only introduce new features and offers when you're ready to handle the response. Your customers will appreciate good services whenever they launch, but they won't appreciate poor results if your brand new idea wasn't exactly ready to be released.

8. Listen to Yourself: Abstract? Yes. A little earth-mothery? Totally. But this is the one step that any rut-laden business person must address. If you don't know what makes you happy and what your gut is telling you- it's probably not a good idea to make any big decisions. Take some time to really listen to what your heart is telling you. Maybe your run with this business is done? Maybe it's time to take on a new business partner? Or maybe your gut tells you its time to expand the business in ways you've always been scared to try. You are your own best business advisor because only you know what really inspires and motivates you.

And in the end that's all you can do- be true to yourself. Keep your head down and keep working. It's good to stay in touch with your community, but if you aren't challenging yourself and having a good time, the job that once felt like a dream will start to feel like any other 9-5.

*And if you're wondering, I actually do feel a bit more hopeful about getting out of my own rut now. I'm off to finalize the details of my next Biz Ladies Meetup. It's my own personal answer to #6 above.