Thank You, Steve Jobs!

COMMENTARY | Steve Jobs, 56, has died. "Steve's brilliance, passion and energy were the source of countless innovations that enrich and improve all of our lives," Apple said in a statement. "The world is immeasurably better because of Steve."

When I first began my business, it was late 1998, early 1999. Many people still didn't have home personal computers and there certainly were not many people working from them back then. "Entrepreneur" was not a term the world was familiar with and people thought I was crazy.

Since those early days, Apple products have made their way into my home office, my pockets and my purse many times over. I have watched technology grow as my business grew, much of it made possible by the pioneering of Steve Jobs.

Mr. Jobs did more than just help lay the groundwork for technology as we know it today, he also pushed for pleasing consumer-interaction and greatly affected the way we interact with technology today. He once described it as trying to make products that were at "the intersection of art and technology."

It is because of this that I have a job. It is because of this that my children can say, "My mom works at home on the computer." I get to spend more time with them. I get to make my own schedule and do what I love every day. Because Mr. Jobs helped to bring user-friendly technology to our homes and even to the palms of our hands, a vast market full of opportunities was opened to me.

He also served as a personal mentor and motivator to me. While I will probably never see the grand success that he did, he was a living example to me that you should never give up, even when others don't see things the way that you do. He taught me that just because it has not been done doesn't mean it can't be done and that if I want to see something happen, I may be the perfect person to set the plans in motion.

Thank you, Steve Jobs!

Apple invites memories and condolences at rememberingsteve@apple.com.