Trucker Glenn Sasser's routines have become more of a barometer of what takes priority over time wasters. Adhering to a tight schedule can mean the difference between getting paid for making a haul on time versus filling an order to remesh 100 old frames so that a wholesaler can have them back in time for the grand opening of a new restaurant.

He likely takes on a no-nonsense demeanor to keep the focus on building A Plus Silk Screen, a small business in Odenville, Ala., a one traffic-light town of 3,585 about 20 miles northeast of Birmingham. Sasser takes used frames, turns them into new ones and applies a silk screen so that designs can be transferred on everything from cereal boxes to bottles to ink pens.

How Sasser came to start up his fledgling10-year old business is a series of twists and turns peppered along the way with personal and financial setbacks. The $590 million Alabama Telco Credit Union in Birmingham, Ala., filled the voids after several banks flatly refused to provide financing. Among them, BB&T and Bank of America.