Before he became a patriot and founding father, Benjamin Franklin was a businessman. In this audio series "This Month in the Life of Benjamin Franklin," Dr. Blaine McCormick takes a closer look at Benjamin Franklin's business years offering insight and motivation for today's business leaders.

In this segment for early December, McCormick discusses why the colonies didn't count on the winter months to put them in the "black" as well as Franklin's work in recruiting volunteer firemen.