Startup Journal: “Mr. Smith feels he owes his former boss a debt of gratitude because the tempestuous relationship spurred him to actively pursue his longtime dream of self-employment. ‘I have to give him credit for pushing me into my destiny. I probably would still be working there today waiting for conditions to be perfect before I stepped out on my own,’ says Mr. Smith, who now has four full-time employees and $300,000 in annual billings at his Rockton, Ill., public-relations firm.”