But I had investors and I was fighting a battle in the board room to control the direction of my company. Raising capital nearly killed me. I had no idea I had to continue the fight with the same kind of stamina and determination in the board room, and no idea what I was in for in the months ahead.

The first cannonball was launched over my bow over lunch at the Bryant Park Grill in NY.

My business was built on a vertical business model of design, manufacturing, sales and distribution into premiere retailers like Saks Inc, Bed Bath & Beyond, Gottschalks, Whole Foods and others, all of which I had brought on before bringing on investors

My CEO wanted to convert to a licensing model, and if anybody could do it, he could. It all looked good on paper, but I was the only one in the board room who worried if the vertical money would run out before the licensing revenues kicked in.