Michael Masterson has developed a loyal following through his writings in Early to Rise (www.earlytorise.com), an e-newsletter published by Agora that mentors more than 400,000 success-oriented individuals to help them achieve their financial goals. Masterson has been making money for himself or others for almost four decades. In that time, he's only taken two breaks—each time for two years. The first was after a stint with the Peace Corps where he came to appreciate relative values and the joy of teaching. The second came at age 39, when he retired from the $100 million-plus business that he and his partner built. Over the course of his remarkably successful business career, Michael has been involved in the development of dozens of successful businesses, including two that grew beyond $100 million. At one time or another, he's owned and run companies that were public/private, onshore/overseas, local/international, service/ product-oriented, retail/wholesale/direct mail, and even profit/not-for-profit.