Think you’re far too old to start your own small business? Way past your prime with no chance to make it in the entrepreneurial world? Think again!

As Barbara Miller proves, many choose to get their feet wet later in life. Cancer-surviving grandmother of four, Miller now heads a multi-million dollar paper distribution company in Amarillo, Texas.

Miller Paper Company came into the game in 1995 with just 15 employees on her payroll. Now, over ten years and many small business awards later, it is one of the leading wholesale distributors of paper products in the Midwest.

Many people will cite money or resources as the most important facets when thinking of starting a business. Sure, they certainly are important. But Barbara Miller insists it is integrity and “treating people just exactly as you would be treated” that makes a great entrepreneur.

And, at age 60, she gives others hope in becoming great businessmen and women at any age and in any position in life.

Some start with professional instruction. Others are self-taught. If you’re not sure where to begin, going back to school is a great way to introduce yourself to the ins and outs of small businesses.

Classes around the country which focus on entrepreneurship are becoming increasingly popular. Students are lining up to get a taste of what it will be like to be a small business owner.

Ann Winblad, co-founder of Hummer Winblad Venture Partners based in San Francisco states, “An entrepreneur is a kind of genius who is born, not made.” This may be true. After all, Michael Dell, Steve Jobs and Bill Gates were all college dropouts.

And yet, close to 2,000 colleges and universities offer at least one course in entrepreneurship… and students are racing to find important mentors to guide them! They insist a proper education can mean the difference between a failed business and a successful one.

JetBlue founder David Neeleman agrees that entrepreneurship education can, indeed, assist in gaining success. However he also claims personality and real-life experience are just as key.

Whether you decided to take the route of the scholar or that of the self-taught, one thing is certain: It is never too late to pursue your dream of being a small business owner!