"So, what are you going to do about it?" she asked.

"I'm not sure yet," I replied while tugging on my left sock that was already straining against its heel. "But I'll think of something."

On this day, if you were to ask me what the most important ability was to survive as a sole proprietor, I probably would have replied, "the ability to reinvent oneself."

This is a challenge that makes many folks uncomfortable. For example, If your idea of a job is to log 8 hours a day, then collect checks on the 1st and 15th, then running a business probably isn't for you.

I know a lot of people say, "If I just had that one great idea, then I'd be set." How about 10 great ideas? Because that's what you're going to need to make a career of it, that is, unless that one idea is really, really good.

Case in point: Steve Jobs co-founded Apple and has 5 amazing revelations attached to his name: the original Mac, the iMac, iPod/iTunes, the iPhone, and the iPad. All of them were refinements of existing technology. Dare I say reinventions? Steve was fired from Apple after the Mac, resurrected himself twice (NeXT and Pixar), before returning to Cupertino for four more curtain calls.

So what's a guy like me, who doesn't have a Thomas Edison lightbulb glowing over his head, do to stay in the black? He constantly creates.

I was in the audience when Steve Jobs debuted the iMac. Apple was on the rocks at the time. The economy was bad. I'll never forget what he said that day.

"We are going to innovate through this recession."

I loved that. No excuses, no whining. It was the only game plan that made sense. I have all sorts of variations on this theme, such as: "When the going gets tough, the tough innovate." And of course, there's the classic, "Innovate or die."

There's a reason why I'm bringing this up. Once again, there are changes in the wind. I'm not going to let them blow me over. Instead, you'll be seeing new ideas coming from me soon.

"Are you worried?" she asked.

"Actually, I'm not."

-Derrick