During the early 1980s and while still in high school, Mike Marino had the bright idea that visitors might enjoy touring the wine country in a limousine. At the time, “A lot of people thought I was crazy,” wrote Marino in an e-mail.

Hiring your first employee can be overwhelming, almost as overwhelming as laying off an employee. Many small business owners don’t know where to begin and what they must cover to avoid potential legal and financial liabilities. Most of the critical steps are listed below, but I would encourage all businesses owners when hiring or downsizing to be aware of the risks.

When I was young, I heard stories of inflation in South America so high that locals would show up with a wheelbarrow full of money to make a modest purchase of food or clothing. We sometimes called it funny money.

A smart kind of risk is good. Long ago, in a cynical moment, I told my friend, John Garn, “You’re crazy. Business people are never going to buy into this.”

Every once in a while, I see an Internet posting that is entertaining and full of wisdom. A friend sent me one written by Regina Brett, a columnist in Cleveland, Ohio’s Plain Dealer, who had just turned 50. She listed 45 lessons of life, plus five to grow on, which I have reduced to the ones with business applications.