Betsy Howland: Books, Food, and Community

A Meditating Entrepreneurs Single, Number 4 — Build a Business, Make Money, and Grow Spiritually at the Same Time with the Transcendental Meditation® program

Hal Goldstein

Meditating Press, Fairfield IA

Visit meditatinge.com/goodies for an ever-growing list of bonuses.

Contents

Introduction

Betsy Howland

Afterword

About the Author

To my wife Rita, my partner, confidant, and true love

Introduction

Many doubt that it’s possible to build a business, make money, and grow spiritually at the same time. But when you explore story after story in Meditating Entrepreneurs, you will discover that you have what it takes to create a life of inner joy and outer abundance.

This Meditating Entrepreneurs Single is one of 15 stories featured in Meditating Entrepreneurs: Creating Success from the Stillness Within. It shares the journey and wisdom of an entrepreneur who started from nothing in rural Iowa and created a successful business.

During the 1980s and 1990s, several thousand young people moved to Fairfield, Iowa to practice the Transcendental Meditation® technique in large groups for personal development and world peace. To make a living, hundreds started businesses.

Read each story, and you will learn that anything is possible. Your mindset will begin to shift from “I can’t,” and “I don’t know how,” to “I can,” and “I’ll find the way.” You will see that inner peace and outer abundance, self-awareness and material success, go hand in hand.

Visit MeditatingE.com/freestuff to download a free Meditating Entrepreneurs Single in audiobook and ebook formats. There, you can also purchase the full version of Meditating Entrepreneurs as well as additional Meditating Entrepreneurs Singles.

Betsy Howland

Books, Food, and Community

Fairfield is a warm and welcoming place to live, and Betsy Howland has contributed to making it so. When Betsy arrived in Fairfield, she found it hard to meet people. She would see people on campus at the meditation dome, but the dome is a place for silence, not socializing.

Betsy recognized the need in Fairfield for a gathering place. In 1995, Betsy and her daughters Julie, Joan, and Jennifer started the popular Revelations Café and Book Store.

Previously, Betsy lived in upstate New York, where she was a foster parent for 17 children. Finding her entrepreneurial spirit early, she and her husband owned a Montgomery Ward franchise and added a department store. In addition, Betsy sold Mary Kay cosmetic products, ran a commercial cleaning service, presided as co-president of the PTA, chaired the local cancer society, served on the Montgomery Ward corporate board, and for several summers ran a small saw mill.

While running Revelations, she took charge of the Fairfield First Fridays Art Walk for several years. She was also instrumental in launching the Fairfield Maze of Murals project.

* * *

Journey: Creating community with Revelations Bookstore and Café

Three daughters, two ideas, one garage

My daughters, Julie, Joan, and Jennifer, and I envisioned a place where people could feel comfortable, relax, meet friends, and feel a part of the Fairfield community. My youngest daughter, Jennifer, had the idea of recycling books. We put our ideas together and started Revelations.

Out of goodness and a sense of community, the owners of Everybody’s Whole Foods, John and Coralee Dey and Paul Praither let us use the large garage behind their store. We had only to clean it out. The previous occupant, a Toyota dealer, had used the garage as a paint shop.

Tires, old coolers, lawn mowers, old furniture, dough machines — almost anything you could imagine — packed the garage from floor to ceiling. Everything seemed too big to move and there was no place to move it to. For two weeks my daughters and I worked to clear everything out at an excruciatingly slow pace.

During this time, Jennifer overheard a conversation: “They don’t have a chance. They know nothing about running a bookstore.”

Depressed, Jennifer said, “We can’t do this, Mom.”

“Yes, we can,” I replied. “We just need to take the first step. We don’t have to know the whole process.”

I then told my daughters to take the day off and rest. After they left, I took on one square foot of a corner of that garage, removed everything, and painted the walls and floor. When the girls returned, I pointed to the spot and said, “This is the beginning of Revelations.”

Revelations became four square feet, then seven, then ten. We just kept moving stuff and claiming new territory. We acquired 200 books from garage sales and our own collections. On each shelf, we placed three books face out to create the appearance of abundance.

We started slowly, but we weren’t discouraged. My daughters and I would celebrate even on days when only two books sold. To this day we’re still improving, expanding, and remodeling.

The Revelations building

As cars whizzed by the former Toyota paint shop garage, we envisioned a beautiful bookstore on a quiet street, filled with light, accessible and inviting to all.

One daughter surprised us and took a job at a new Italian restaurant. The location was central but quiet, right off the town square. It had a beautiful wooden floor and tall windows that flooded the inside with light. As I ate at its grand opening, I imagined selling our books in that building. It would be perfect.

Ten weeks later, the restaurant went bankrupt. The owner wanted to sell us the restaurant, but we just bought the building and eventually ended up using it as a restaurant. We discussed what to do with the kitchen. My daughters said, “Rent it out.” They wanted a bookstore, not a restaurant.

But we were in business for the customer. A few weeks in, we purchased an espresso machine so customers could have coffee while looking at books. Then a customer requested a sandwich with the coffee. We made two chicken, two tuna, and two cheese sandwiches and didn’t sell one. Still, we kept making them, and each night for weeks we would eat sandwiches for dinner. Eventually, the sandwiches began to sell.

One day a lady said, “I wish I had soup to go with my sandwich.” So, I made a little crock of cream of broccoli. Next, it was cream of tomato. For a good while the girls and I had soup for dinner every night.

Over time, the soup and sandwiches sold, as did the books. Today, we make two huge pots of homemade soup and over 100 sandwiches a day.

It took us a year to peek inside the pizza oven that had been imported from Italy. We had no idea what to do with it. The original restaurant owner told us that his son was visiting Fairfield for two weeks. Did we want the son to make pizza? Yes, we did. Watching him carefully, we realized that not only could we make pizza, we could improve it. He used frozen dough; we made homemade. He used canned sauce; we made it from scratch.

That’s how we did everything, moving slowly forward, step by step, focusing on what the customer wanted.

How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.

Mother is at home

Our vision of creating community always included providing space for different activities, whatever the interest. We now use our upstairs and the lower level as a gathering place for seminars, workshops, business meetings, parties, political organizing, anniversaries, and book signings. Many come from out of town and give classes. For example, we just had a pet psychic come to Fairfield who taught pet owners how to communicate with their pets.

A woman teaching classes in our upstairs seminar area told me that Revelations felt like “mother is at home.” I liked that. It’s true: Revelations nourishes the body with food, the mind with books, and the soul with art and music.

Revelations has a life of its own, and we feel we are just along for the ride.

Art Walk and Maze of Murals

I’ve been involved with many community-nourishing, art-related projects that showcase Fairfield artists’ talents. These activities help develop and enliven downtown Fairfield where Revelations resides.

As Executive Director of the Fairfield First Fridays Art Walk for two years, I managed the monthly downtown events that took place in rain or shine, in sweltering or freezing weather. Each Art Walk featured a theme, with the art galleries open to the public, and included music, film, food, children’s activities, and outside vendors. Hundreds of Fairfielders along with visitors from throughout the Midwest still attend the monthly Art Walk, which continues today.

I also helped launch the Fairfield Maze of Murals project. Artists demonstrate their talents on downtown walls, making well-used alleyways more attractive.

* * *

Wisdom: Lead like Mom — be firm, consistent, loving

Start small

Revelations and my other entrepreneurial ventures taught me to start small. Take care of the customer, and the customer will show you the natural path to expansion.

As an entrepreneur, you don’t have to know everything when you start. At the beginning of Revelations, we knew nothing about how to run a bookstore. We just took the first step — a location and some books on shelves. Everything we needed to learn, we discovered along the way. Now, using the internet, it’s even easier to learn how to do almost anything. Information about getting a license, incorporating, and obtaining a tax ID is just a Google search away.

I believe our job at Revelations is to serve the community. What does it need? What does it want? I listen, and then do what I enjoy and makes sense.

Part of serving the community is being true to ourselves. For example, no matter how many customers requested it, for years we wouldn’t open on Sundays. Finally, this last November and December 2018, we yielded to requests from customers, the Fairfield Chamber, and downtown merchants. Our Sunday business was OK, but the experience reaffirmed our initial decision. We found ourselves working six and seven days a week, and we just didn’t have the energy to treat our customers the way we wanted to, so no more Sundays.

Hiring: “We take strays”

Some years ago, I raised over 20 children, including 17 foster kids. At Revelations, we have had as many as 20 employees, mostly young people. As with foster kids, at Revelations I take chances on young people. I’ve had employees with health, legal, and drug problems.

Many rules for parenting and managing are similar: be firm, mean what you say, be consistent, and be loving. At Revelations I praise employees when they do good work, but I’m strict. I know what I want, and I know how I want it done.

If a job isn’t working for a new hire, I don’t just push them aside. I am aware of how my words can affect not only an employee’s livelihood but their feelings and self-esteem. At the store, we will keep moving someone around to different positions until they click and feel comfortable. Someone hired to cook might turn out to be a great waitress.

I hire people on a temporary, part-time basis to see if we can find a match. Some people just don’t fit. I’m honest. I tell them I’m sorry. “I like these things, but these other things seem difficult for you. It just doesn’t feel right. Why don’t you look for something you are more suited for?” I usually let them continue to work for us until they find a better fit elsewhere.

We encourage employees to further their education. I had one fellow with a serious drug problem. He would be in and out of jail, in and out of rehab. Every time he went to rehab we’d keep the job open and take him back with open arms. Now, sober for some time and ever so grateful, he got his GED and enrolled in college. Seeing him become such an incredible young man made it worthwhile.

Cultivating repeat customers while learning to say no

Revelations attracts visitors from across the state thanks to our large and varied book collection, our fresh, wood-fired pizza, and our unique “arty and spiritual” atmosphere. That said, it’s our regular customers that make our business work, especially in a town of 10,000. Even if I don’t know their names, I know where the regulars sit and what they order.

People are always asking me for favors at Revelations. It is hard to say no, because I want to satisfy everyone. For example, one person asks if he can use a café table to sell his artwork. Another customer requests hot water for her own tea bag. Yet another brings a birthday cake for a party, even with “no outside food” signage and knowing that we make an assortment of cakes. I have to turn them down.

Some people get upset when I say no. They storm out, saying they will never return. I feel terrible, but if I make an exception for one person, I would have to say yes to everyone, and that would be a catastrophe. I do my best to be gracious when denying their requests, explaining that we must make a profit to keep the doors open.

Whether it is foster kids, employees, or customers, the same rules apply: be firm, consistent, and loving.

Revelations creates community

In my mind, a business must have meaning and purpose and fulfill some desire of the owner. Whatever you do should make you feel satisfied and happy. Don’t do something that makes you miserable, even if you think it a great idea, even if someone you value wants you to do it. If you aren’t happy doing something, change what you are doing.

For more than 20 years, all of our hearts have stayed with Revelations, even though now it is just my daughter, Joan, and I who run Revelations. Jennifer, my youngest daughter — the one whose idea it was to start selling used books — spent the last eight years becoming certified as a five-element acupuncturist. My other daughter, Julie, and her husband, Dale, launched a service that replicates fine art.

Revelations offers visitors a homey, casual, leisurely atmosphere. It is not like going to a regular restaurant where you go in, order, and leave. We never rush anyone out. People feel comfortable just sitting around and chatting.

Writers write books and poetry at Revelations. People meet and fall in love. Old friends re-bond. We’ve even hosted several weddings and receptions.

Our vision has always been about community.

Stay in the moment

My best advice for dealing with the chaos of running a business is to stay in the moment. Otherwise, everything can be a challenge. There are always issues to deal with: licenses, insurance, a leaking roof, a dead furnace. Often, entry-level young employees leave.

What’s here right now is all that I know. No matter how overwhelming a challenge appears, it can be handled by breaking it down into small, bite-sized tasks.

Integrity, gratitude, and dealing with negative people

People recognize integrity when they see it. Throughout my career, bankers have loaned me money even with a weak asset position. Once we give our word, we honor and stand behind it. In a small town like Fairfield, everybody knows everybody, and everybody knows if you lack integrity.

When I wake up, I appreciate all that’s good in my life. Doing so brings me happiness and gives me the power to get things done.

I ask, “What’s going to charm me today?” I might think, “Valentine’s Day is over. I’ll put the St. Patrick’s Day window in.” If the work feels like it’s getting to be too much, and I lose my patience or passion, I will simply stop. I’ll get to it another time. The window remains half done because I go by what feels right in the moment.

Occasionally, we’ll encounter a customer who complains, saying something like, “That was the worst pizza I’ve ever had.” We think maybe their taste buds are off that day, so we give them a credit slip and say, “Sorry, see you next time.”

I can’t control how people think, how they respond, or what they say. If people attack our practices or plans, I don’t buy into it. I listen to them and thank them for their input, but I don’t give it energy. If they are negative, I rarely agree because I know what is right for me. At the same time, I refrain from telling others what’s right for them.

An overheard conversation didn’t deter Revelations at its inception. If it’s our vision, if it is what we want, we just keep going.

* * *

Spirit: Create your world through thought

Manifesting a swimming pool by intention

When I was young, I watched the original version of the movie, Cheaper by the Dozen, a comedy about the tribulations of the parents of 12 children. I recall thinking how fantastic it would be to have all those kids.

Later, I had three children, adopted three, and took in six foster and homeless kids. Having 12 children in the house was every bit as fun as the movie — and just as crazy.

We needed a bigger house, so we bought an old farm house in the country. I thought it would be wonderful to have a swimming pool for the kids. My husband, the kids, and I designated a spot in the yard for the pool, even though we had no idea how to manage it financially.

We had such a clear vision for the pool that whoever cut the lawn had to wear a bathing suit when mowing over that part. We never walked over the pool location unless we wore a swimsuit.

Later that summer, someone knocked on my door and said, “I hear you want a swimming pool.”

I said, “That’s right, but it has to be an in-ground pool.” As it turned out, a few miles away someone was giving away an in-ground pool with a stainless steel liner.

We still needed money to dig a hole, move the pool, and fill it with water, but our clear intention prevailed. A neighbor with a contracting business knew we were helping kids and wanted to assist. It would have been many hundreds of dollars to hire someone to come with a bulldozer and backhoe and dig the big hole. Our neighbor dug the hole, charged me only $50, and allowed me to pay in $5 weekly installments. The kids enjoyed the pool for years.

When my daughters and I moved to Fairfield, my husband was to join us later but never did. Our interests and life-styles had grown apart, and we ended up separating. When he became sick, my daughters and I took turns going back and caring for him.

Your thoughts create the future

Thoughts are powerful. By being intentional about your thinking, you can create the future. A thought put a man on the moon. The energy to start and run Revelations came from the thought of recycling books and our vision of creating community.

Look back a few months. How did your thinking create your current circumstances?

Everyone creates their world by default or by deliberate intention. Those that live by default get up each morning, put on clothes, walk, eat, drink, perform daily activities, and go to bed. Like a driver without a destination, without clear intention, these people can end up anywhere or nowhere.

Alternatively, we can create our world through deliberate intention. We put our attention on the goal, know why we want it to happen, and do what’s necessary to achieve it.

For years, I wanted a Harley Davidson motorcycle. I’d get excited imagining the Harley ride, the engine’s roar, the blast of wind on my helmet, the sun — and then I’d think about how much a Harley costs. Creation stopped in its tracks.

I finally realized that by focusing on the negative, I was sabotaging myself. Instead, I formed a clear intention in my mind. I decided that I would have the Harley whatever it took, even if I had to empty my piggy bank or get dealer financing. The clarity was liberating.

With that decision, motorcycles seemed to come from all directions. At the time, waiting lists for Harleys were up to three years. I traveled to a Harley dealer in Quincy, Illinois and told him I didn’t want to wait. I wanted a Springer Soft-Tail, and I wanted it now.

“That’s amazing,” the sales guy said. “I have one that came in a half-hour ago, still in the crate. Only 104 were made for the Super Bowl and this limited edition is one of two that wasn’t used. You can have it today.”

In the end, I decided not to buy it because my friends would never have let me take a collector’s edition out of the crate. However, I did buy a Suzuki Intruder, similar to the Harley, at half the price. I loved it. I invested the difference in Harley stock, and the Harley stock paid for my next three vehicles.

I changed my thinking and had my ride.

I’ve noticed that “practical” people often don’t move ahead. Their minds focus on the inevitable obstacles, and nothing happens.

At Revelations, we envisioned a beautiful alternative to our garage location. Although we did not know how it would happen, we were clear and precise about what we wanted. A moment of pure positive thought began the manifestation process.

My twice-daily TM practice not only relieves the stress from my work at Revelations, it strengthens my thinking and intentionality. From my quiet mind, creative solutions emerge. Thanks to TM, my thinking is clear, precise, and powerful, and I am able to create what I want in life.

Change your story, change your life

If someone’s ill, they talk of poor health. Someone with problems tells everyone about their problems.

Why put your energy there? What you put your attention on becomes your reality. If you don’t like how things are, tell a different story. Change your life by changing your thinking.

Many years ago, my daughter totaled my car. Then shortly after, the transmission went out in our van. I had no money to repair the vehicles. I required transportation for my work traveling to art fairs around the country. I borrowed a friend’s van, didn’t realize it used a lot of oil, and destroyed the motor. That was three vehicles in less than two months!

It was all I talked about.

Then we found large snakes slithering around in our basement. It seemed everything bad that could happen did happen. I realized what I was doing: I was playing a part in my misery, creating a downward spiral by constantly talking about what was going wrong.

I stopped. I waited for something good to happen so I could try something different. A friend came over to repair my bathroom sink, and that was all I talked about — how wonderful for someone to do that. Once I changed my thinking, the downward spiral ended. I stopped creating negativity, and things got better and better.

In business, you can create a negative spiral by continually thinking and talking about problems. Focus on successes and vision, and you will create a better outcome.

To succeed in business, you must be in the moment and deal with what’s in front of you. I’m not saying to be blind to possibilities, but why dwell on non-existent problems created by the mind?

Once, I wanted to spend Christmas with my parents, so I decided to drive all night — 1,100 miles — to New York. With a wind-chill of 50 below and blizzard conditions predicted the entire way, I thought, I must be out of my mind.

I drove with a death grip on the wheel. I was terrified. Then I realized, There’s no snow now, so why am I upset? By staying in the moment and not making trouble by thinking about problems that didn’t exist, I made it to New York easily.

Similarly, in business, I do what needs to be done now. My mind may see all sorts of problems, but I ask myself, “Is there a problem right now?” If there is, I’ll do something about it. If there isn’t, I don’t create more problems.

Your inner guidance system

Everyone has an inner guidance system. It never fails. It never fools you. It’s always right.

The guidance signals can be gut feelings, a “knowingness” in the heart, or even a physical experience like an intense headache.

Close your eyes and try this experiment: think of a question and take the first answer that comes. See what your body says about the answer. How does it feel? The mind will try to override it, but if you listen, the body knows.

I had a friend who had a tough decision to make regarding diet. I told her to sit quietly with her eyes closed and think about the diet she was asked to be on and how it made her feel. Instantly, she got a horrible sensation in her body and felt choking. I changed the subject and then had her be quiet again. I asked about an alternative diet. She immediately responded, “Yes that one, there’s no doubt. I feel settled and peaceful.”

Whenever you have to make a decision, you can find the answer by settling down and listening. Ask the question one way and then the other way. Wait for the reaction. It may seem like it will be hard to recognize, but it won’t be. There will be some strong bodily signal like a tightness in the throat or a feeling in the stomach. The subconscious mind knows and expresses itself in the body. If there is no real reaction, then it is OK either way.

For 20 years at Revelations, we have used our inner guidance system to make decisions.

* * *

Betsy Howland’s twelve tweets

Create your world through thought

1. Everyone creates their world either by default or deliberate intention. If you live by default and function on automatic, you could end up anywhere. Instead, create with deliberate intention. Put your attention on the goal, know the “why,” and do what’s necessary.

2. Picture clearly and precisely what you want. A moment of pure positive thought begins the manifestation process.

3. If you don’t like how things are, change the story you are telling. In business, you can create a negative spiral by continually thinking and talking about problems. To create a better outcome, focus on successes and your vision.

4. When I wake up, I appreciate all that’s good in my life. I think, What’s going to charm me today? That attitude brings me happiness and gives me the energy to get things done.

5. Everyone has an inner guidance system. Guidance signals can be gut feelings, knowingness in the heart, or even a physical experience like a headache. If you listen to your body, it is always right. The mind tries to override it, but if you listen, the body knows.

6. I’ve noticed that “practical” people often don’t move ahead. Their minds focus on the inevitable obstacles, and nothing happens.

Act with intention

1. The way to deal with the everyday chaos of running a business is to stay in the moment. I do what needs to be done now. My mind may see all sorts of problems, but is there a problem right now? If there is, I do something about it. If not, I don’t create more problems.

2. Whether it is children, employees, or customers, similar rules apply: be firm, be consistent, be loving.

3. Start small. Take care of the customer, and the customer will show the natural path to expansion. No matter how overwhelming the challenge, break it into small, bite-sized tasks. Just take the first step. You don’t have to understand the whole process.

4. I’m aware how my words not only affects an employee’s livelihood but their feelings and self-esteem.

5. Your business should have meaning and purpose and make you feel satisfied and happy. Don’t do something that makes you miserable, even it is a great idea and even if someone you value wants you to do it. If you aren’t happy doing something, change what you are doing.

6. Celebrate success, even if at the beginning it doesn’t seem like much.

* * *

Ponder

1. Betsy emphasizes both living in the now and having clear goals. Is that a contradiction? Why or why not?

2. Betsy’s vision and passion was to create community. What is your vision and passion for your business and for your life?

3. Betsy discusses deliberate intention and creating from thought. She gives examples of the swimming pool for her kids and the Revelations building. Do you believe you can create from your thoughts? Do you have examples?

4. What do you think of Betsy’s notion of a fail-proof inner guidance system? Have you ever used it? To what effect?

5. Betsy gave several examples about how her negative thinking perpetuated her problems. She didn’t get the Harley and she kept destroying vehicles. Is it your experience that your story creates reality or that reality creates your story?

Betsy Howland with part of her collection of used books

Lunch at Revelations

Winter night Artwalk outside Revelations

Afterword

In this Meditating Entrepreneurs Single, you read the story of one of 15 entrepreneurs featured in Meditating Entrepreneurs: Creating Success from the Stillness Within — Bliss and Abundance with the Transcendental Meditation® Program. Each of these TM meditators shares his or her empowering story of moving to rural Iowa for enlightenment and world peace and creating extraordinary businesses from nothing:

- Fred Gratzon served his People Magazine’s “Best Ice Cream in America” to President Reagan and Michael Jordan and later founded a publicly traded telecommunications company.

- Janet Attwood, the Passion Test founder, made a business teaching people to find their life purpose.

- Fairfield’s entrepreneurial mayor Ed Malloy helped transform a quiet, rural Iowa town into an entrepreneurial entertainment Mecca.

- Betsy Howland combined healthy meals and used books to create a community gathering spot.

- George Foster transformed from starving artist to leading book cover designer.

- Ron Bovard formed a community of artists that created stained glass.

- Jim Davis built a business taking photos of personal triumph.

- Serial entrepreneur Steven Winn made and lost millions.

- Peter Huggins put people first in numbers-oriented businesses.

- Monica Hadley partnered with brilliant entrepreneurs to create five businesses and two non-profits.

- Eva Norlyk Smith founded an online training school for Yoga teachers..

- Hal Goldstein published magazines about mobile devices, including iPhone Life magazine.

- Soil scientist Frances Thicke turned his organic dairy farm into an experiment for transforming agriculture.

- Former Navy Seal Troy Van Beek and wife Amy Van Beek created their solar energy company to end war fought over scarce resources.

Visit MeditatingE.com/freestuff to download a free Meditating Entrepreneurs Single in audiobook and ebook formats. There, you can also purchase the full version of Meditating Entrepreneurs as well as additional Meditating Entrepreneurs Singles.

The Transcendental Meditation® (TM®) technique is a simple effortless method for improving all areas of life. The technique is easily learned and is practiced sitting comfortably in a chair with the eyes closed for 15 to 20 minutes twice a day. TM is unique among forms of meditation and is only taught by a certified TM teacher. Many hundreds of scientific studies conducted on Transcendental Meditators demonstrate its physical, psychological, and social benefits. To find a local TM Center and phone number, visit www.tm.org. In the U.S. call 888-532-7686.

Remember to visit MeditatingE.com/freestuff for free downloads and book purchases.

About the Author

Hal Goldstein spent his first 35 years traveling, earning three masters degrees, and working as a social worker, software engineer, and teacher of the Transcendental Meditation technique.

In 1984, Hal and his wife Rita moved from Palo Alto, California to Fairfield, Iowa to practice the TM technique in large groups for personal development and to create an influence of peace in the world.

In Fairfield, Hal and Rita started Thaddeus Computing, which supported mobile computing users with magazines, apps, and refurbished devices. The company created magazines for HP, Microsoft, and Apple mobile computer users.

Hal semi-retired in 2011. Today the company publishes internationally distributed iPhone Life magazine and hosts the popular iPhoneLife.com website.

Hal teaches entrepreneurship at Maharishi University of Management where guest Fairfield entrepreneurs share their stories and wisdom. Hal based The Meditating Entrepreneurs and the MeditatingEntrepreneur.com website on talks from the course.

Copyright © 2019 by Hal Goldstein

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or used in any manner without written permission of the copyright owner except for the use of quotations in a book review.

Transcendental Meditation®, TM®, TM-Sidhi®, Maharishi University of Management®, Gandharva Veda Music®, Maharishi Vastu®, Maharishi Vedic®, Maharishi International University, and Consciousness-Based are protected trademarks and are used in the United States under license or with permission.

With permission, this book is excerpted from Meditating Entrepreneurs: Creating Success from the Stillness Within — Bliss and Abundance with the Transcendental Meditation® program, Copyright © 2019 by Hal Goldstein, Meditating Press

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