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As a child of the 1950s, Mariano Martinez grew up in the Little Mexico neighborhood of Dallas, Texas.  His father and mother owned a neighborhood Mexican restaurant there, El Chara. where Mariano liked helping out.  The family later moved to the affluent Lakewood area of Dallas, and were the only Mexican family there at the time.  He faced ethnic discrimination as a child and as a young man, which gave Mariano the fuel to strive for a better life -- he had a need to be somebody, to succeed and to become "rich and famous," to show folks that he, too, could be  make his mark in the world.

Mariano dropped out of high school during the 10th grade, but later went back and got an associates' degree from El Centro College.  On May 1, 1971, at the age of 21 with no money or management experience, he opened his own Tex-Mex restaurant, Mariano's Mexican Cuisine, with $500 and a loan from the Small Business Administration -- an initial total investment of $116,000.  While margaritas were thought of as exotic drinks found only in Mexico, Mariano used his father's recipe and the margarita quickly became the most popular item in his restaurant.  However, bartenders were burning up blenders faster than he could afford to buy new ones and customers complained about the inconsistency, flavor and temperature of the drinks, and his bartenders complained that the drinks were too difficult to make.  Determined to keep both his customers and employees happy, Mariano came up with the idea for a margarita machine one morning when he saw a Slurpee machine in action at a local 7-Eleven store.  (The Slurpee machine was invented in Dallas in 1960 to make carbonated beverages slushy enough to drink through a straw.)  Mariano had a soft-serve ice cream machine which he quickly adapted to serve his special drink.  The first margarita machine went into operation in the restaurant on May 11, 1971.  It was such a success that, according to Mariano, "It brought bars in Tex-Mex restaurants front and enter.  People came to Mariano's for that frozen margarita out of the machine."

After 32 years in operation, Mariano's restaurant in the famed Old Town location of Dallas fell victim to the wrecking ball on October 4, 2003 and the restaurant moved on December 1, 2003 to new location in Dallas and renamed La Hacienda Ranch.  Total sales of Mariano's are estimated to have exceeeded $50 million during this time.  Over the years, the restaurant served such celebrities as astronaut Neil Armstrong (the first man to walk on the moon -- was also the first to walk into the restaurant!), Gregory Peck, Gregory Hines, and famed restauranteur Vincent Sardi.  When Richard Nixon stopped by, he visited the kitchen and told the cooks in Spanish that it was the best Mexican food he had ever eaten.  Many of the original Dallas Cowboys' team were regulars, including the late Clint Murchison and Tex Schramm.  The late entertainer Bob Hope mentioned Mariano's and its famous margaritas on national television.  Sue Ellen Ewing fell off the wagon at Mariano's.  The famous television series "Dallas" called Mariano's home.  The long-running series filmed at Mariano's on five separate occasions.

Today, at 67 years old, Mariano and his wife (of 40 years), Wanda, own Mariano's Hacienda as well as four La Hacienda Ranch restaurants in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, a Tex-Mex and steak concept he started in 1992.  Mariano leads the restaurants and about 550 employees from his office above the garage of his 100-year-old Highland Park home.

Never patented because Mariano never realized that his invention was so important that would be worthy of a patent, many versions of the frozen margarita commercial machine subsequently came into the market selling for $900 to $4,000 each.  After 40+ years of blending lime juice, tequila, ice, and sugar for enthusiastic customers, the world's first frozen margarita machine was retired to the Smithsonian in 2005.

Mariano's story is inspirational to all entrepreneurs.  "An entrepreneur beings with an idea and turns it into a reality," he said.  "I'm a very positive person and feel like there's a future for entrepreneurs and it's the future of our country."

Client invoices are to be submitted to Mazon by 10:00 a.m. CST for same-day funding.  Invoices submitted after 10:00 a.m. are funded the next business day.  We can, however, be flexible with this cut-off time depending on individual situations and if we are notified that you are running a little later.  Invoices may be submitted by fax, email, FedEx, UPS, courier or dropped off at our offices during business hours or depositing in our drop-slot 24/7.

If you would like to find out more about our factoring services for your business and/or apply for an account with Mazon Associates, please phone us at 972-554-6967 (toll-free 800-442-2740) or visit our website www.mazon.com.

 
 Being busy is a good thing, right?  With all of the things you are juggling on your own for your business, things can get pretty hectic.  Take 10 minutes at the end of each day to recap all that you have accomplished and prep yourself for what's up tomorrow.  Thnk about what was good, what was bad and re-prioritize things you need to do next.  Those few moments will help you refresh and amp up for tackling what's next.  (Source:  www.Manta.com)

Aug. 3: National Watermelon Day; Aug. 4: Coast Guard Day; Aug. 5: Sisters Day, Friendship Day; Aug. 6: Atomic Bomb Day; Aug. 9: Smokey Bear's Birthday; Aug. 19: National Aviation Day; Aug. 20: National Homeless Animals Day; Aug. 26: Women's Equality Day.

Who Moved My Cheese? by Spencer Johnson, published Sept. 8, 1998 by Putnam, 96 pages, ISBN 9780399144462.

With Who Moved My Cheese?, Dr. Spencer Johnson realizes the need for finding the language and tools to deal with change -- an issue that makes all of us nervous and uncomfortable.  Most people are fearful of change because they don't believe they have any control over how or when it happens to them.  Since change happens either to the individual or by the individual, Dr. Johnson shows us that what matters most is the attitude we have about change.  This book takes the fear and anxiety out of managing the future and shows people a simple way to successfully deal with the changing times, providing them with a method for moving ahead with their work and lives safely and effectively.

Jack climbed to the top of Mt. Sinai to get close enough to talk to God.  Looking up, he asked the Lord, "God, what does a million years mean to you?"

The Lord replied, "A minute."

Jack asked, "And what does a million dollars mean to you?"

The Lord replied, "A penny."

Jack asked, "Can I have a penny?"

The Lord replied, "In a minute."

-- Contributed by Hushang Vakil, Dahanu, India

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