Yeah, these aren’t only good shoestring business tips but just general entrepreneurial rules…especially #1. I was helping a buddy of mine with his copywriting business and I witnessed a situation where he had the opportunity to turn in a poorly-thought out assignment or say no, despite the loss in cash flow. He said no. I always respected that, because he was committed to giving every client the best possible work, even if their definition of that differed from his. We could argue whether or not he made the right decision but I think professionals who know what they’re doing should stick to their guns.

And yeah, by all means, be a little crazy, just don’t wind up like this guy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aw_1sgcSAkc

I am laughing my ass off (and you know what that looks like).

- Mike

Don’t overextend yourself from day 1 even if it is a break even proposition when you are starting out, otherwise it will be next to impossible to separate yourself from your business later. Don’t be a jack of all trades, instead be a Master of One…and if you find something you can do without pay, you will realize that problems create opportunity after opportunity and you will be able to see that by knowing the ins and outs of that industry. Just have fun and great crazy with your business. It is not so much as being a risk taker. You can’t worry about accommodating and trying to please everybody otherwise you will never truly connect with anybody. Just keep it real and keep it moving.