Making a Small Fortune

About half of all new businesses fail in their first five years. This is the story of one of them. At the start of the 21st century, Matthew Spaur remarried, became a stepparent to three boys, and started a weekly newspaper-all at the same time. Almost overnight, he became a self-employed working parent with bad business timing. He did this despite having never owned a business, worked on a newspaper, taken a journalism class, or sold advertising. Soon, the Wall St. tech bubble burst, the 9/11 attacks exploded, and the country slid into recession and then war. Media outlets started receiving envelopes of anthrax in their mail. The internet revolution began to obliterate the newspaper industry. At home, his new wife and two of his step-sons developed life-threatening illnesses. With family, friends, and a little humor, he eventually found his way through his attempt at making a small fortune.