We all have preconceived notions about what a job is like. Whether it’s based in reality or just what you’ve heard through the grapevine, we get these ideas in our heads about what our lives would be like if we had a certain profession.

The shale-oil revolution that transformed the U.S. into the world’s top oil producer is entering a new phase — one that could see America’s hard-fought lead in energy erode in fewer than five years as oil production growth peters out.

I’ve been an entrepreneur for over fifteen years, and in that time, I’ve worn many different hats. There have been moments where my job necessitated being out in the field and turning a wrench, and others that located me at a table with a computer in front of me for hours.

It’s a poorly kept secret that I’m a big fan of the oil industry. I believe people’s financial portfolio should have a portion dedicated to oil and gas.

This is a natural thing. As the old saying goes, you’re not buying a drill bit, you’re buying a hole. Nobody is focused on how I get oil, just that oil is the end result.

Before I owned my own company, I was an oil investor, and I’ve seen my fair share of losses. As a result, I’m particularly attuned to the risks people take when they decide to invest in an oil and gas business, whether it’s my own or someone else’s.

When someone is new to the oil industry, they may picture fields full of rigs, spurts of black coming out of the ground, and lots of old machinery.

All investments have risks. But when you dive into a new kind of investment, you want to be sure you have all your ducks in a row.

Rich Tabaka, author of How to Invest in Oil: Stories, Insights, & Strategic Recommendations From an Oil Entrepreneur, is the founder and president of Allied Resource Partners, an independent oil and gas company.

People often ask me, "How long does the drilling operation take?" It’s a good question, because if you want to invest in an oil operation, you should know when you'll recoup your funds.

I am a first-generation American. My parents and sisters immigrated from Poland in the 1980s, leaving behind a country ruled by communists for a new life just outside of Chicago, Illinois.

There’s this moment that happens in the oil business that’s in all the movies and is sensationalized beyond the point of parody. It’s when the rig strikes oil and everyone is showered in black crude, so they dance around in celebration.

My first exposure to the oil business happened at the movie theater. I would watch The Iron Orchard, Deepwater Horizon, or There Will Be Blood with amazement at all the things people did to get it out of the ground.

There’s a certain magic to drilling for oil. It's hard to explain to someone who hasn't experienced it in person, but there's something romantic about the hunt, assembling a crew, getting the machinery moving, and, finally, getting a positive result. It's exhilarating.

By the time I walked through the doors at Edgewood Valley, one of the nicest and poshest golf clubs in the area, I already had a strong work ethic..

How Allied Resource Partners is redefining operational excellence.

An interview with Rich Tabaka on market shifts and personal vision.

Rich Tabaka discusses sustainable strategies in modern oil investing.

Glance at an old-school marketing textbook, and you’ll probably see an image of a traditional marketing ...