Small business lessons from Lincoln

More than 200 years after Abraham Lincoln’s birth, our country’s 16th president seems more popular than ever. He’s the topic of an award-winning movie starring Daniel Day-Lewis, and Bill O’Reilly’s “Killing Lincoln” is the most recent book in a string of bestsellers on the icon.

While Lincoln has been an inspiration to many generations, he can be particularly motivating for small business owners—because he was one. Lincoln owned a general store and later ran a law practice. Plus, he was the only U.S. president to receive a patent—a device to lift riverboats over sandbars. With that in mind, here are three ways to be like Lincolnto help your small business: