James Shanahan was born and raised in Chicago. After high school, he served a stint in the Army before graduating from the Chicago College of Industrial Engineering in pursuit of a backdoor to management. By the age of 27, he was head of industrial engineering for a Fortune 500 company manufacturing overhead cranes and mining shovels. Then, he moved into field sales operating regional offices in Pittsburgh, Seattle, and Los Angeles. He was also instrumental in developing international markets in Canada, Mexico, South America, and Southeast Asia. After 17 years with that company, he returned to corporate headquarters and was promoted to the VP and General Manager of the Overhead Crane Division. Now in the last third of his life, Shanahan is giving back. This is his second book, and it contains all the wisdom he has assimilated during both 24 years in large businesses and 29 years acquiring successful small businesses.