It was 1999. I was 33, single, building my business, and I'd just found out I was pregnant. He knew my goal was to make a million dollars by 35. I told him I was speeding it up: I wanted to make it before the baby was born. "There's no way you can be a single mother and be successful," he said.

"I am so sick of people talking about time management." A woman said that to me at one of my seminars in Calgary, and she was right. Whether you run a business or work a job, you can't fit 25 hours of life into a 24-hour day. Here's what I tell people to manage instead:

It's not time management; it's energy management. That means putting your time to its highest and best use, and doing the right thing at the right time.

Before you go into business with anyone, plan how it ends. Whether you're partnering on a side venture or bringing an investor into your company, life is unpredictable, and so are people. Here's what I learned the hard way:

Years ago, a woman I was working with on a business venture died unexpectedly. She left her share of the business to her young boyfriend. He didn't play well with others, and he had no intention of letting go of his shares.

Most people think a successful business has to be unique. It's actually the opposite. Whether you're starting something on the side or growing the business you already have, you don't need a brand-new idea. Here's what you need instead:

Think about Home Depot and Lowe's, or McDonald's and Burger King. Successful businesses aren't unique; they follow a pattern. And if no one else is doing your idea, that's not a gold mine. It most likely means there isn't a market for it.

A TV producer once asked me if I could build a real wealth plan for an ordinary family on camera. I told her I'd need eight questions and eight minutes. Whether you earn a paycheck or run a business, these same eight questions will show you exactly where you stand. Here they are:

1. What is your monthly income? Use your number before taxes, the way a business looks at revenue. 2. What are your monthly expenses? Not what you think you spend. What you actually spend.

When my son Logan was 5, he had a Roth IRA and a wealth account, meaning an account set aside only for buying assets that make money. He even went on business trips with me. Whether you own a business or work a job, the money habits your kids learn from you will outlast anything else you leave them. Here's how I taught him:

Logan worked for my company as a model. And even though I could afford to buy him whatever he wanted, he didn't get anything until he'd earned the money to pay for half of it. Then he had to keep earning the rest, or it went on hold. He never heard me say we couldn't afford something.

Your beliefs about money probably didn't start with you. They came from your parents, your teachers, and the times they lived through. Whether you earn a paycheck or run a business, those beliefs shape every money decision you make. Here are the eight I see most often:

I grew up on a farm in Nebraska. My family always worked hard for their money, so I believed working hard was how you made money. I couldn't have been more wrong. It's the people who make their money work hard for them, not the people who work hard for their money, who end up with more of it.

There is no such thing as a self-made millionaire. It takes a team, and one of the first people on yours should be a mentor. It doesn't matter whether you're building a business or building wealth from a paycheck. You need someone who has already done what you're trying to do. Here's how to find the right one:

Your Uncle Joe may be the smartest, nicest guy in the world. But if he doesn't have at least a million dollars, he's not your mentor for wealth building. Kindness and wealth aren't mutually exclusive, so look for someone who has both. It doesn't do you or your conscience any good to make good money with bad company.

Most people starting out charge less than everyone else. That's backward. Whether you're launching something on the side or running an established business, your price tells customers what you're worth. Here's the rule I teach:

When I ask people what kind of business they want to start, the most common answer is a restaurant. Or a ski shop. Or the biggest chain of brownie stores in the world. Stop right there. Those are dreams. Dreams are good, and we'll get to them, but they are not your fastest path to cash.

Your products and services aren't worth as much as your competitors'. They're worth MORE. You've already figured out what makes you different, whether it's more convenience, higher quality, or better service. That difference adds value, and people should pay more for it. They just need to know about it.

I don't believe that if you do what you love, the money will follow. Ask any poet how that's going, and I'm sure you'll be hit up for a loan. Whether you're in a W-2 job or already own a business, your fastest path to cash starts somewhere less exciting: the skills you already have. Here's what I mean:

Divide $100,000 by 12 months and you get $8,333 a month. Divide that by four weeks and it's $2,080 a week. Divide that by five working days and it's $416 a day. So the question isn't "How do I make $100,000?" It's "How do I make $416 more today?"