It is painfully obvious that our nation, once described as the "land of the free and the home of the brave" has become divided. A recent Gallop poll, for example, reveals: "Forty-nine percent of Americans say the state of moral values in the U.S. is 'poor' -- the highest percentage in Gallup's trend on this measure since its inception in 2002. Meanwhile, 37% of U.S. adults say moral values are 'only fair,' and 14% say they are 'excellent' or 'good.' Americans have always viewed the state of U.S. morals more negatively than positively. But these latest figures are the worst to date. In earlier polls on the measure, Americans were about as likely to rate the country's moral standing as only fair as they were to say it was poor. But in 10 of the past 12 annual polls since 2007, Americans have been decidedly more likely to rate it as poor."

Whether the cause of this moral decline is the result of systemic injustice, media bias, political correctness, a disparity in health care, the entrenchment of racism in our culture, or failing immigration policies and their seeming association with the long war on drugs, the depth of these problems and civil unrest now endangers not only the American Dream but the very lives of our citizens.

Our nations integrity sits at the heart of our decline, and our ethical practices, whether in business, the political arena, or with each other, lie at the core of our precarious situation. Without proper conduct and mutual respect, we have little to look forward to but continued chaos and suffering - which is growing more out of control each day. Self control, discipline, and self-mastery, will be necessary if we are going to get society back on track and advancing forward, and the responsibility for this required change ultimately lies with each of us, individually and then collectively.

The author's independent study, which focused on the habits and practices that have been relied on to transact business, uncovered the primary reasons for business failure and how those discoveries apply to all facets of life, and to the core of our societal distress. The author provides, herein, time tested principles, entrepreneurial strategies, and the Principles of Good Business as a practical process for navigating the storms we currently face.

It is our belief, that The United States of American can and will be great again, if and when we decide to adopt and practice the Principles of Good Business...

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About the Author

Thomas H. (Tom) Fairbanks has been involved in real estate, business, and economic development for the last 40+ years; specializing in incubation facilitation, which is an economic lifeline of business support, resources, and services that accelerate the growth and success of startup and entrepreneurial enterprises.

His wife, Shauna, presented Tom with a certificate of achievement for Christmas many years ago acknowledging that he was successfully completing an Advanced Ongoing Course in the Field of Life, which was the impetus to the creation of the School of Hard Knocks.

Tom is a man with extensive experience in the integration of business, real estate investments and personal development. His extensive entrepreneurial career began with his first sole entrepreneurial effort at the age of 22. He is a continual student in human behavior and participated in the development of a personal and professional development-training program used to educate clients and incubate companies.

He is a firm believer in the power of association, and his extensive hands-on education has helped him to develop and author the concepts of SupplyLine Economics©, and Collaborative Business Systems©. Having witnessed firsthand the abuses of ethical violations in business, Tom became an active proponent of fair play and community advocacy and his efforts led to the formulating of the “Principles of Good Business©” which he believes is the core foundation of healthy business and community development.

Around June of 2013, a friend, who had just accepted responsibility for facilitating the self-employment program at the Logan Utah LDS Employment Center, called and asked Tom to assist him, as a volunteer, in fulfilling his assignment to conduct the Church's Self-Employment Workshop. Over a period of about four and a half years it has been his privilege to share, with literally hundreds of people, some of the principles and strategies, contained in this book.