not born as far as i know there is no such thing as an entrepreneurial gene that is passed down the family tree in my case i got the education that i needed to become an entrepreneur at university i developed my business and entrepreneurial skills by working with two major information technology groups before i purchased the qss group in 1994 for 45k and built it in 13 years from a company with 1 employee me to a company of more than 2000 with revenues of approximately 300m i had the good fortune during my employment tenure with one of those information technology firms to have an exceptional mentor at one of those firms named sharad tak sharad was my mentor in business i cant say enough about his tutelage he taught me the ins and outs of managing information technology contracts with the government and inspired my entrepreneurship in december of 2014 sharad and i both received legend awards from the dc chapter of the indus entrepreneurs tie it was a special honor to be recognized with him and showed that i had learned my lessons well and through the dint of hard work and determination proven myself as an entrepreneur in january of 2015 i received martin luther king jr international service award this award is especially important because as i said in my acceptance remarks there is an indelible connection between martin luther king and mahatma gandhi i am also equally grateful to receive this award as a muslim american at a time the muslim faith is hijacked by those who practice radical islam which is not a religion but a cult of those who are alienated from society and carry violence and hatred in their hearts for those who are different from them this is a sad perversion of the muslim faith my being given this award as a muslim acknowledges the fact that the overwhelming and huge majority of muslims are advocates of brotherhood and unity in a conflicted world how did you become a democratic party supporter and why growing up in india with its strong emphasis on representative democracy i understood the importance of being a good citizen early in my life after i came here my first involvement with politics was the simple act of voting in elections i recognized that not only is citizenship a right it is also a responsibility as i became more knowledgeable i gravitated toward the democratic party because it reflects my values a concern and agenda for everyone rather than the privileged few i must state that even though i am generally a supporter of the democratic party i am also a strong believer in bipartisanship and have supported those from the other side of the aisle as well i reflect this concern for the common good collaborative problem solving and civic involvement in the two books that i have written renewing the american dream a citizens guide for restoring our