If something you couldn’t see was keeping your business from growing, wouldn’t you want to do something about it? What if it meant admitting something about yourself you wouldn’t be so proud of, such as the idea that when it comes to hiring, you tend for no reason at all to dismiss some people out of hand while favoring others?

Karlyn Borysenko has seen a lot of hard places to work. A consultant studying for her PhD in organizational psychology, she gets asked to go in, diagnose, and tell business leaders the truths about their work cultures they don’t want to hear. Even at companies where positivity is policy, she often finds leaders’ efforts lacking.

Discrimination is a dirty word -- workplace discrimination doubly so. But if you don’t want your star workers leaving, a bit of favoritism goes a long way, according to William Tincup, CEO of Tincup & Co, an HR consultancy.

It’s no secret, Texas is one of the best states for small businesses. But it has more to offer than friendly regulations. Perhaps more than anywhere else, its culture, weather and lifestyle choices offer business owners and employees alike ways to work hard, earn a living and enjoy the fruits of their labor.

Here are the top 7 ways Texas makes building a business a bully idea.

California has birthed many great success stories: the Gold Rush, Hollywood and Silicon Valley, for starters. For centuries people have moved to the West Coast seeking unconventional opportunities and fast fortunes.

More than stacks of money, more than lines of customers -- even more than the knowledge contained in a thousand books on small business -- an entrepreneur’s ultimate success depends on the people he has at his side.