Thanks, Mom

"I learned in business that if you take care of your customers and employees, and create good, solid relationships, it will all come back to you and your business," he says. "Relationships must be strong--and you must deliver everything with exceptional heart and value.""Check your chore chart."Like most busy moms, Aviva Goldfarb found herself too frazzled to prepare a home-cooked meal every night.

"As someone who loves food and cares very much about nutrition, I never pictured myself as the kind of mom who would heat a frozen meal for dinner every night or be on a first-name basis with the pizza guy," Goldfarb says. "I grew up in a home where we sat down to a wholesome, home-cooked meal every night. My mom somehow managed to make getting a three-course dinner on the table each night look easy."

The key, Goldfarb realized, was to get organized. Just like her mother used to do, she sat down each weekend and planned out a week's worth of meals, saving herself time and money at the grocery store.

"It's been a revelation to me that being organized in this one way could save me so much time and stress," Goldfarb says. She decided to share this simple lesson with other frazzled parents by creating The Six O'Clock Scramble in 2003, an online service that helps busy parents make healthy meals in a hurry by providing recipes, shopping lists and other tools that help them plan ahead for a week of meals.

It's a concept that not only inspired her to start her business, but also helps her to maintain it successfully as well.

"When any weekly task seems overwhelming, your current system probably isn't working," she says. "By taking a little time to get organized, creating a system that works, and getting this new solution into your routine, you'll be able to calmly achieve any task.""If you want something, you have to earn it."Margo Redfern grew up with a passion for literacy, something her mother instilled in her at an early age. As a teacher for children with dyslexia, Redfern's mother was always looking for creative ways to engage the children and teach them to read. When Redfern discovered her oldest son had trouble reading, she decided to follow in her mom's footsteps and come up with a creative way to get her son, and others like him, excited about reading.

In September 2007, Redfern created Flattenme,a site that allows parents to upload their child's photo, choose a storybook (choices of stories include fairies, pirates, little monsters and a traveling potty), and watch their child transform into the star character within their very own book.

"My mom taught me that no one is ever going to give anything to you on a silver platter. You're going to have to work hard to achieve it," Redfern says.

It's a lesson that has served her well in the difficult startup phase of her company.

"Starting a company is very, very hard. To truly believe that you're going to succeed, no matter what--simply because you're going to work hard and everything will fall into place--is an absolute necessity for entrepreneurs," she says."Spend more time with your family.""My grandmother appeared to effortlessly maintain balance in her life, something I strive for every day and rarely feel I am able to achieve," Tammy Trenta says.

Trenta's always-stylish and always-put-together grandmother was the inspiration (and the namesake) behind Theresa Kathryn,a company Trenta launched in 2005 that offers stylish women's briefcases and laptop bags. The company is expected to surpass $1 million in sales in 2008.

Trenta's grandmother taught her the importance of maintaining a healthy balance between work and home. She was an entrepreneur for over 50 years and worked up until her death at 81 years old.

"She didn't have a chance to enjoy retirement but treated every day as if it were a special occasion by having friends and family over for dinner or dessert on a regular basis," Trenta says. "She taught me to appreciate each moment and the people you love--these are the reasons you wake up every morning and what keeps you moving forward."