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This is going to be a bullet FAQ on starting a business. I've started about 20 businesses. Some major successes. Some major failures.I'm also invested in about 30 startups. I've seen some blow up. I've seen some return 10,000%. So take this for what it's worth but I wish someone had told me these things when I did my first startup or two.If you’re a lawyer, feel free to disagree with me, so you can charge someone your BS fees to give the same advice.If you can think of anything to add, please do so. I might be missing things. If you want to argue with me, feel free. I might be wrong on any of the items below.Every situation is different. But I find these rules are generally applicable in almost every situation.But every question here is a question I've been asked by a startup CEO. So I know these are relevant questions.The rules are: I’m going to give no explanations. Just listen to me.1) C Corp or S Corp or LLC?C-Corp if you ever want to take on investors or sell to another company. You can start LLC but you'll need to switch to C Corp if you raise investors.2) What state should you incorporate in?Delaware.3) Should founders vest?Yes, over a period of four years. On any change of control the vesting speeds up.4) Should you go for venture capital money?First build a product, then get a customer, then get friends-and-family money (or money from revenues which is cheapest of all) and then think about raising money. But only then. Don’t be an amateur.5) Should you patent your idea?Get customers first. Patent later. Don’t talk to lawyers until the last possible moment.6) Should you require venture capitalists to sign NDAs?No. Nobody is going to steal your idea. VC's view NDAs as amateur hour.7) How much equity should you give a partner?Divide things up into these categories: manage the company; raise the money; had the idea; brings in the revenues; built the product (or performs the services). Divide up in equal portions.8) Should you have a technical co-founder if you are not technical?No. If you don’t already have a technical co-founder you can always outsource technology and not give up equity.9) Should you barter equity for services?No. You get what you pay for.10) How do you market your app?Friends and then word of mouth. And then blog on multiple platforms. And then add new features.11) Should you build a product?Maybe. But first see if, manually, your product works. Then think about providing it as a service. Then productize the commonly used services. Too many people do this in reverse and then fail.Oracle is a great example of a company that did this. They had a "database" but really they had an army of consultants that would go in and "install" the database. After about five years of this they finally had a database.12) How much dilution is too much dilution?If someone wants to give you money, then take it. The old saying, 100 percent of nothing is worth less than 1 percent of something.13) Do you listen to venture capitalist?Yes, of course. They gave you money. But then don’t do anything they ask you to do.14) What if nobody seems to be buying your product?Then change to a service and do whatever anyone is willing to pay for using the skills you developed while making your product.“You’re gonna rattle the stars, you are.”15) If a client wants you to hire their friend or they won’t give you the business (e.g. like a bribe) what should you do?Always do the ethical thing: Hire the friend and get the client’s business.16) What do you do when a customer rejects you in a B2B business?Stay in touch once a month. Never be angry.17) In a B2C business?Release fast. Add new features every week. Very important. Constantly unwrap a suprise.18) How do you get new clients?The best new clients are old clients. Always offer new services. Think every day of new services to offer old clients.19) What’s the best thing to do for a new client?Over-deliver for the first 100 days. Then you will never lose them.20) What if your client asks you to do something not in your business plan?Do it, or find someone who can do it, even if it’s a competitor.21) Should I ever focus on SEO?No.22) Should I do social media marketing?No.23) Should I ever talk badly about a partner of an employee even though they are awful?Never gossip. Always be straight with the culprit. NONE of your employees should ever say bad things about the client.I just saw this rule violated in a $100 million revenues company. Now they are losing the client and can't figure out why.24) I have lots of ideas. How do I pick the right one?Do as many ideas as possible. The right idea will pick you.25) What is the sign of an amateur?— Asking for an NDA.— Trying to raise VC money before product or customers.— Having fights with partners in the first year. Fire them or split before anything gets out of control.— Worrying about dilution.— Trying to get Mark Cuban to invest because “this would be great for the Dallas Mavericks.”— Asking people you barely know to introduce you to Mark Cuban.— Asking people for five minutes of their time. It’s never five minutes, so you are establishing yourself as a liar.— Having a PowerPoint that doesn’t show me arbitrage. I need to know that there is a small chance there is a 100x return on money.— Catch 22: showing people there’s a small chance there’s 100x return on their money. The secret of salesmanship is getting through the Catch 22.— Rejecting a cash offer for your company when you have almost no revenues. Hello Friendster and Foursquare.26) What is the sign of a professional?— Going from bullshit product to services to product to SaaS product. (Corollary: the reverse is amateur hour).— Cutting costs every day.— Selling every day, every minute.— When you have a billion in revenues, staying focused. When you have zero revenues, staying unfocused and coming up with new ideas every day.— Saying “no” to people who are obvious losers.— Saying “yes” to any meeting at all with someone who is an obvious winner.— Knowing how to distinguish between winners and losers (subject of an entire other post but in your gut you know — trust me).27) When should I hire people full time?When you have revenues28) How long does it take to raise money?In a GREAT business, six months. In a mediocre business, infinity.29) Should I get an office?No, not unless you have revenues.30) Should I do market research?Yes, find one customer who DEFINITELY, without a doubt, will buy a service from you. Note that I don’t say buy your product, because your initial product is always not what the customer wanted.31) Should I pay taxes?No. You should always reinvest your money and operate at a loss.32) Should I pay dividends?See above.33) What should the CEO salary be?No more than 2x your lowest employee if you are not profitable. This even assumes you are funded. If you are not funded your salary should be zero until your revenues can pay your salary last. Important RULE: the CEO salary is the last expense paid in every business.34) When should I fire employees?When you have fewer than six months’ burn in the bank and you aren’t getting revenues growing fast enough.35) When should you have sex with an employee?When you love her/him and the feeling is mutual.36) What other reasons should one fire an employee?— When they gossip.— When they don’t over-deliver constantly.— When they ask for a raise because they think they are making below industry standard.— When they talk badly about a client.— When they have an attitude.37) When should you give a raise?Rarely.38) How big should the employee option pool be?15 to 20 percent.39) How much do advisers get?One-fourth of 1 percent. Advisers are useless. Don’t even have an advisory board.40) How much do board members get?Nothing. They should all be investors. If they aren’t an investor, then one-half of 1 percent.41) What if one client is almost all of my revenues?Treat them very nicely. Don’t forget the Christmas gift basket.People say: don't have one customer be more than X% of your revenues. That's great in a textbook but it doesn't work that way in reality.42) What’s the best way to sell anything?Show arbitrage: If they pay X now they are buying something worth X * Y. That is the ONLY way to sell.43) What is the best way to sell anything?Part II: fear and agitation. Get them afraid (the world is falling apart). Get them agitated (this is the only way to stop it).44) What’s the best way to talk about your competition in a meeting?Use “choice ambiguity” (Google it). Say, “all of my competition is great. I wouldn’t even know how to choose among them.”45) What’s the best way to value a company?Ask yourself (no BS): How much would it cost to recreate the technology, services, brand and customers you have already built. Then quadruple it and see what people would pay.46) Should I ever worry about the news or the economy?Absolutely not. The best businesses are started in horrible economies.47) What happened to all of my friends?You don’t have anymore friends.48) How do I charge more for my services?Itemize as finely as possible and charge for each item.49) Do I charge per hour or per project or per month?First per project, then per-month maintenance.50) How do I prepare for a meeting?Know everything about the clients: competition, employees, industry. Over-read everything.Read everything.51) What is the only effective email marketing?Highly targeted email marketing written by professional copywriters, and the email list is made up of people who have bought similar services in the past six months.51a) Corollary: If you have zero skills as a copywriter then everything you write will be boring.52) Should I give stuff for free?Maybe. But don’t expect free customers to turn into paying customers. Your free customers actually hate you and want everything from you for nothing, so you better have a different business model.53) Should I have schwag?No.54) Should I go to SXSW?No.55) Should I go to industry parties and meetups?No.56) Should I blog?Yes. You must. Blog about everything going wrong in your industry. Blog personal stories that you think will scare away customers. They won’t. Customers will be attracted to honesty.57) Should I care about margins?No. Care about revenues.58) Should I spin-off this unrelated idea into a separate business?No. Make one business great. Throw everything in it. Do DBAs to identify different ideas.59) Should I hire people because I can travel on a seven-hour plane ride with them?Don’t be an idiot. If anything, hire people the opposite of you. Or else who will you delegate to?60) When should I say “no” to a client?When they approach you.61) When should I say “yes” to a client?Every other conversation you ever have with them after that initial “no.”62) Should I have sex with an employee?Stop asking that.63) Should I negotiate the best terms with a VC?No. Pick the VC you like. Times are going to get tough at some point, and you need to be able to have a heart-to-heart with them.64) Should I even start a business?No. Make money. Build shit. Then start a business.65) Should I give employees bonuses for a job well done?No. Give them gifts but not bonuses.66) What should I do at Christmas?Send everyone you know a gift basket.67) If my customer just got divorced, what should I say to him?“I can introduce you to lots of women/men.”68) When should I give up on my idea?When you can’t generate revenues, customers, interest, for two months.69) Why didn’t the VC or customer call back after we met yesterday and it was great?They hate you.70) Why didn’t the above call back after we met yesterday and it was great?“Yesterday” was like a split second ago for them and a lifetime for you. There’s the law of entrepreneurial relativity. Figure out what that means and live by it.71) Should I hire a professional CEO?No. Never.72) Should I hire a head of sales?No. The founder is the head of sales until at least 10 million in sales.73) My client called at 3 a.m. Should I tell him to respect boundaries?No. You no longer have any boundaries.74) I made a mistake. Should I tell the client?Yes. Tell him everything that happened. You’re his partner. Not the guy that hides things and then lies about them.75) My investors want me to focus.Should I listen to them? No. Diversify in every way you can.76) I personally need money. Should I borrow from the business?Only if the business can survive for another six months no matter what.77) I just bought two companies. Should I put them under the same roof and start consolidating?No. Not for at least two years.78) Should I quit my job?No. Only if you have salary that can pay you for six months at your startup. Aim to quit your job but don’t quit your job.79) What do I do when I have doubts?Ask your customers if your doubts are trustworthy.80) I have too much competition. What should I do?Competition is good. It shows you have a decent business model. Now simply outperform them.81) My wife/husband thinks I spend too much time on my startup?Divorce them or close your business.82) I’m starting my business, but I have relationship problems. What should I do?Get rid of your relationship.83) Should I expand geographically as quickly as possible?No. Get all the business you can in your local area. Travel is too expensive time-wise.84) How do I keep clients from yelling at me?Document every meeting line-by-line, and send your document to the client right after the meeting.85) I undercharged. What should I do about it?Nothing. Charge the next client more.86) I have an idea for an app but don’t know how to execute. What should I do?Draw every screen and function. Then outsource someone to make the drawings look like they come from a real app. Then outsource the development of the app. Get a specific schedule. Micromanage the schedule.87) I want to buy a franchise in X. Is that a good idea?Only buy a franchise if it’s underperforming and you can see how to improve it. Don’t buy on future hopes; only buy on past mistakes.88) I want to buy a franchise in X. Is that a good idea?Rely on the three Ds: Death, Debt, Divorce.When someone dies, the heirs will sell a business cheap.When someone is in debt, they will sell a business cheap.When someone divorces, the couple usually has to sell a business cheap.IMPORTANT: even if the trends in the industry are in your favor, you CANNOT predict the future. But you can use the past to help you get a deal. Always get a deal.89) I have a lot of traffic but no revenues. What should I do?Sell your business. There’s only one Google. (Well, there are two or three Googles: Facebook, Twitter … )90) I have no traffic. How do I get traffic?Shut down your business.91) Should I hire a PR firm?No. Do guerilla marketing. Read “Newsjacking” and “Trust me I’m Lying.” PR firms screw up from beginning to end. The first time I hired a PR firm, instead of sending me my contract they accidentally sent me their contract for “Terry Bradshaw.” He was paying $12,000 a month. Was it worth it for him?92) My competition is doing better than me across every metric. What should I do?Don’t be afraid to instantly shut down your business and start over if you can’t sell it. Time is a horrible thing to waste.93) I’ve been in business now for six years, and my business doesn’t seem to be growing. It’s even slowing down. What should I do?Come up with 10 ideas a day about new services your business can offer. Try to get a customer for each new service. I know one business in this situation that refuses to do this because their VCs are telling them to focus more. You’re going to go out of business otherwise.94) Is it unethical to run my business from the side while still at my job?I don’t know. Did God tell you that in a dream?95) My customer called me at 5 p.m. on a Friday and said, “We have to talk.” And now I can’t talk to him until Monday. What does it mean?It means you’re fired.96) XYZ just sold for $100 million. Should I be valued at that? I’m better!No, you should shut up.97) Investors want to meet me and customers want to meet me. Who do I meet if I need money?You should know the answer to that by now.98) If an acquirer asks me why I want to sell, what should I say?That you feel it would be easier for you to grow in the context of a bigger company that has experienced the growing pains you are just starting to go through. That 1+1 = 45.99) I just started my business. What should I do?Sell it as fast as possible (applies in 99 percent of situations). Sell for cash.100) I can change the world with my technology.No you can’t.100a) Corollary: Don’t smoke crack.101) If you’re so smart why aren’t you a billionaire?Because I sold my businesses early, lost everything, started new businesses, sold them, and got lucky every now and then.101a) Corollary: These rules don’t always apply. But like Kurt Vonnegut said, “if you want to break the rules of grammar, first learn the rules of grammar.”RULE #infinity:You create your luck by being healthy and not regretting the past or being anxious about the future.

So many people have the basics wrong. And then there businesses sadly fail for all the wrong reasons.To answer this question I created a quick list of the basics. Just don’t screw up the basics and you might have a chance.If you avoid the bad, that’s often the best way to get the good.—-This is going be a bullet FAQ on starting a business.If you're a lawyer, feel free to disagree with me so you can charge someone your BS fees to give the same advice.If you can think of anything to add, please do so. I might be missing things.If you want to argue with me, feel free. I might be wrong on any of the items below. I'll respond in comments.There are many types of businesses. Depending on your business, some of these won't apply.All of these questions come from questions I've been asked REPEATEDLY over the years.Who am I? I’ve started many successful businesses. I’ve also failed at quite a few. And I’ve invested in many many successful businesses. I’ve been on boards, I’ve been an advisor, I’ve helped many CEOs and have been a CEO many times.Just don’t screw up the basics:The rules are: I'm going to give no explanations. Just listen to me.1) C Corp or S Corp or LLC? C-Corp.2) What state should you incorporate in? Delaware.3) Should founders vest? Yes, over a period of four years. On any change of control the vesting speeds up.4) Should you go for venture capital money?First build a product, then get a customer, then get friends and family money (or money from revenues which is cheapest of all) and then think about raising money, But only then. Don't be an amateur.If you don't build a product first, (even if you have to do some things manually that you will later automate), then there is no way to test demand, no way to test specific features, no way to get feedback.You will spend six months raising money, six months hiring programmers and building a product, and then probably fail.THIS is why many startups fail. Test, test, test.5) Should you patent your idea?Get customers first. Patent later. Don't talk to lawyers until the last possible moment.6) Should you require venture capitalists to sign NDAs?No. Nobody is going to steal your idea.7) How much equity should you give a partner?Divide things up into these categories: manage the company, raise the money, had the idea, brings in the revenues, built the product (or performs the services). Divide up in equal portions.8) Should you have a technical co-founder if you are not technical?No. If you don't already have a technical cofounder you can always outsource technology and not give up equity.9) Should you barter equity for services? No. You get what you pay for.10) How do you market your app? Friends and then word of mouth.Social media is BS. Build a product that people want.Craig Newmark emailed his friends every day about events happening in San Francisco.They would share his emails. Soon he was sending thousands of people emails.Only THEN did he build a website (Craigslist). When he knew there was demand. Now it's worth billions.11) Should you build a product?Maybe. But first see if manually your product works. Then think about providing it as a service. Then productize the commonly used services. Too many people do this in reverse and then fail.12) How much dilution is too much dilution?If someone wants to give you money, then take it. The old saying, 100% of nothing is worth less than 1% of something.One time I raised $30,000,000 in the first round for a company I started (Vaultus). But there was demand for $20,000,000 more and I said No. I wish I had said Yes.13) Do you listen to venture capitalists?Yes, of course They gave you money. But then don't do anything they ask you to do.Remember: They WANT you to spend so they can get great terms on giving you more money in the next round.SAVE YOUR CASH.14) What if nobody seems to be buying your product?Then change to a service and do whatever anyone is willing to pay for.I had a company once that made websites. If someone needed a logo, we did it. If someone needed a friend, we did it. If someone needed a TV commercial we shot it."Focus" is a slogan used by people who aren't entrepreneurs.15) If a client wants you to hire their friend or they won't give you the business (e.g. like a bribe) what should you do?Always do the ethical thing - hire the friend and get the client's business.16) What do you do when a customer rejects you in a B2B business? Stay in touch once a month. Never be angry.Rule: 16 touches later you will have the business.17) In a B2C business: release fast. Add new features every week.18) How do you get new clients?Rule: The best new clients are old clients.Even when I do my podcast, the best guests are guests who have been on before.Always offer new services.19) What's the best thing do for a new client?Overdeliver for the first 100 days. Then you will never lose them.20) What if your client asks you to do something not in your business plan?Do it, or find someone who can do it, even if it's a competitor.The way I got offers for my first company was by referring clients to other companies. Those other companies eventually ALL offered to buy my company.21) Should I ever focus on SEO? No.22) Should I do social media marketing? No.23) Should I ever talk badly about a partner of an employee even though they are awful?Never gossip. The way you do anything is the way you do everything.24) I have lots of ideas. How do I pick the right one?Do as many ideas possible. The right idea will pick you.DOING is 100x more valuable to your business than thinking.24a) Aren't "ideas a dime a dozen and execution is everything?"Who told you this? A good idea is difficult.And execution ideas are a subset of ideas. There are bad execution ideas and good execution ideas. One means your business will fail, the other means you will make millions.Practice every day having ideas so that when you need to execute, you will have good execution ideas.25) What is the sign of an amateur? Any of these things:- asking for an NDA- trying to raise VC money before product or customers- having fights with partners in the first year. Fire them or split before anything gets out of control- Worrying about dilution- Trying to get Mark Cuban to invest because "this would be great for the Dallas Mavericks"- Asking people you barely know to introduce you to Mark Cuban- Asking people for five minutes of their time. It's never five minutes so you are establishing yourself as a liar.- Having a powerpoint that doesn't show me arbitrage. I need to know that there is a small chance there is a 100x return on money.- Catch 22: showing people there's a small chance there's 100x return on their money. The secret of salesmanship is getting through the Catch 22.- rejecting a cash offer for your company when you have almost no revenues. Hello friendster and foursquare.26) What is the sign of a professional:- going from bullshit product to services to product to SaaS product. (Corollary: the reverse is amateur hour).Example: Oracle sold a database. Then they would send over 100 consultants to "install" the database.This is how they built their database. It took them four years of selling their database before they actually had one.- cutting costs every day- selling every day, every minute- When you have a billion in revenues, staying focused. When you have zero revenues, staying unfocused and coming up with new ideas every day.- Saying "no" to people who are obvious losers.- Saying "yes" to any meeting at all with someone who is an obvious winner.- knowing how to distinguish between winners and losers (subject of an entire other post but in your gut you know, trust me).27) When should I hire people fulltime?When you have revenues.28) How long does it take to raise money?In a GREAT business, six months. In a mediocre business: infinity.29) Should I get an office? No, not unless you have revenues.30) Should I do market research?Yes, find one customer who DEFINITELY, without a doubt, will buy a service from you. Note, I don't say buy your product because your initial product is always not what the customer wanted.31) Should I pay taxes? No. You should always reinvest your money and operate at a loss.32) Should I pay dividends? See above33) What should the CEO salary be?No more than 2x your lowest employee if you are not profitable. This even assumes you are funded. If you are not funded your salary should be zero until your revenues can pay your salary last. ImportantRULE: the CEO salary is the last expense paid in every business.34) When should I fire employees? When you have less than six months burn in the bank and you aren't getting revenues growing fast enough.35) When should you have sex with an employee? When you love her and the feeling is mutual.36) What other reasons should one fire an employee?- when they gossip- when they don't over-deliver constantly- when they ask for a raise because they think they are making below industry standard- when the talk badly about a client- when they have an attitude- when they talk badly about one of your partners or investors.37) When should you give a raise? Rarely. Find many incentives for people to be happy. It's not just about money.38) How big should the employee option pool be? 15-20%39) How much do advisers get? 1/4 of 1%. Advisers are useless. Don't even have an advisory board.40) How much do board members get?Nothing. They should all be investors. If they aren't an investor, then 1/2 of 1%50) Should you take the offer to buy your company? Yes . In cash.51) What is the only effective email marketing?Highly targeted email marketing written by professional copywriters and the email list is made up of people who have bought similar services in past six months.51A) Corollary: If you have zero skills as a copywriter then everything you write will be boring.52) Should I give stuff for free? Maybe. But don't expect free customers to turn into paying customers.Your free customers actually hate you and want everything from you for nothing so you better have a different business model.3% of your free customers will turn into paying customers.3% of your paying customers will buy more expensive products. This will be the cause of all of your profits.53) Should I have schwag? No.54) Should I go to SXSW? No.55) Should I go to industry parties and meetups? No.56) Should I blog?Yes. You must. Blog about everything going wrong in your industry. Blog personal stories that you think will scare away customers. They won't. Customers will be attracted to honesty.BE the voice of your industry.57) Should I care about margins?No. Care about revenues.58) Should I spin off this unrelated idea into a separate business? No. Make one business GREAT. Throw everything in it. Do DBAs to identify different ideas.59) Should I hire people because I can travel on a seven hour plane ride with them?Don't be an idiot. If anything, hire people the opposite of you. Else who will you delegate to.60) When should I say "no" to a client? When they approach you.61) When should I say "yes" to a client? Every other conversation you ever have with them after that initial "no".62) Should I have sex with an employee? Stop asking that.63) Should I negotiate the best terms with a VC? No. Pick the VC you like. Times are going to get tough at some point and you need to be able to have a heart to heart with them.If the company does well, everyone will be rich.64) Should I even start a business? No. Make money. Build shit. Then start a business.65) Should I give employees bonuses for a job well done? No. Give them gifts but not bonuses.66) What should I do at Christmas? Send everyone you know a gift basket.67) If my customer just got divorced what should I say to him? "I can introduce you to lot's of women/men".68) When should I give up on my idea? When you can't generate revenues, customers, interest, for TWO MONTHS.69) Why didn't the VC or customer call back after we met yesterday and it was great?They hate you.70) Why didn't the above call back after we met yesterday and it was great?"Yesterday" was like a split-second ago for them and a lifetime for you. There's the law of entpreneurial relativity. Figure out what that means and live by it.71) Should I hire a professional CEO? No. Never.71) Should I hire a head of sales? No. The founder is the head of sales until at least ten million in sales.72) My client called at 3am. Should I tell him to respect boundaries? No. You no longer have any boundaries.73) I made a mistake. Should I tell the client? Yes. Tell him everything that happened. You're his partner. Not the guy that hides things and then lies about them.74) My investors want me to focus. Should I listen to them? No. Diversify in every way you can.75) I personally need money. Should I borrow from the business? Only if the business can survive for another six months no matter what.76) I just bought two companies. Should I put them under the same roof and start consolidating? No. Not for at least two years.77) Should I quit my job? No. Only if you have salary that can pay you for six months at your startup. Aim to quit your job but don't quit your job.78) What do I do when I have doubts? Ask your customers if your doubts are trustworthy.79) I have too much competition. What should I do? Competition is good. It shows you have a decent business model. Now simply outperform them.80) My wife/husband thinks I spend too much time on my startup? Divorce them or stop your business.81) I'm starting my business but I have relationship problems. What should I do? Get rid of your relationship.82) Should I expand geographically as quickly as possible? No. Get all the business you can in your local area. Travel is too expensive time-wise.83) How do I keep clients from yelling at me? Document line by line every meeting and send your document to the client right after the meeting.84) I undercharged. What should I do about it? Nothing. Charge the next client more.85) I have an idea for an app but don't know how to execute. What should I do?Draw every screen and function. Then outsource someone to make the drawings look like they come from a real app. Then outsource the development of the app. Get a specific schedule. Micromanage the schedule.86) I want to buy a franchise in X. Is that a good idea?Only buy a franchise if it's underperforming and you can see how to improve it. Don't buy on future hopes, only buy on past mistakes.Make sure you can say what your unfair advantage is in one sentence.87) I want to buy a franchise in X. Is that a good idea?Rely on the three Ds: Death, Debt, Divorce. When someone dies, the heirs will sell a business cheap. When someone is in debt, they will sell a business cheap. When someone divorces, the couple usually have to sell a business cheap.IMPORTANT: even if the trends in the industry are in your favor, you CANNOT predict the future. But you can use the past to help you get a deal. Always get a deal.88) I have a lot of traffic but no revenues. What should I do? Sell your business. There's only one Google. (well, there's two or three Googles: Facebook and Twitter).89) I have no traffic. How do I get traffic? Shut down your business.90) Should I hire a PR firm?No. Do guerilla marketing. Read "Newsjacking" and "Trust me I'm Lying". PR firms screw up from beginning to the end. The first time I hired a PR firm, instead of sending me my contract they accidentally sent me their contract for "Terry Bradshaw". He was paying $12,000 a month. Was it worth it for him?91) My competition is doing better than me across every metric. What should I do?Don't be afraid to instantly shut down your business and start over if you can't sell the business. Time is a horrible thing to waste.92) I'm in business now for 6 years and my business doesn't seem to be growing. It's even slowing down. What should I do?Come up with 10 ideas a day about new services your business can offer. Try to get a customer for each new service.Rule (again): best new customers are old customers. Do new things for old customers.93) Is it unethical to run my business from the side while still at my job?I don't know. Did God tell you that in a dream?94) My customer called me at 5pm on a Friday and said, "We have to talk" and now I can't talk to him until Monday. What does it mean?It means you're fired.95) XYZ just sold for a $100 million. Should I be valued at that? I'm better!No, you should shut up.96) Investors want to meet me and customers want to meet me. Who do I meet if I need money? You should know the answer to that by now.97) If an acquirer asks me why I want to sell, what should I say?That you feel it would be easier for you to grow in the context of a bigger company that has experienced the growing pains you are just starting to go through. That 1+1 = 45.98) I just started my business. What should I do? Sell it as fast as possible (applies in 99% of situations)99) I can change the world with my technology.No you can't.99A) Corollary: Don't smoke crack.100) If you're so smart why aren't you a billionaire?Because I sold my businesses early, lost everything, started new businesses, sold them, and got lucky every now and then.You create your luck by being healthy and not regretting the past or being anxious about the future.101) Should I even start a business?Only if you love managing the contradicting needs of employees, shareholders, clients, potential clients, partners, acquirers, competitors, etc.Else, try to invest in someone who does so they do all the work for you.

I'm so lucky to have such amazing people in my life, people who I can always count on in times of need and can always make me smile no matter the situationFriends are people who are there when you are sad, listen to your problems and they like you for who you really are thank you to all my amazing friends :)a relationship doesn't need any promises, terms or conditions..it just need two wonderful persons "one who can trust & one who can understand"when people are meant to be together, no matter what the relationship, the universe will always find a way to bring them together no matter how far apart.Sometimes you just have to forget the rules, follow your heart and see where it takes you. :)With every problem, there is hope. So don't ever give up. Just keep having faith and things will turn out well.Sometimes I miss returning a Video without rewinding it.Life is full of tough choices and hard times.. but if you believe in yourself and the people who love you.. you'll make it!"A mother's love can NEVER be replaced by another."Happy Mothers day to MY MOM!! I love you! Happy Mothers day to all the Moms and Mommies to be out there! I hope you all get to enjoy your dayLife was much easier when Apple & Blackberry were just fruits!I've got bridges yet to burn... pages yet to turn... and lessons yet to learn.Expecting nothing from others, the best way to live..The greatest gift you can give to someone is your time. Because when you give your time, you are giving a portion of your life that you will never get back"COMMUNICATION is not an important part of a RELATIONSHIP- COMMUNICATION is the RELATIONSHIP. Without it there is not a RELATIONSHIPThought for the day: "There are two ways to be happy: improve your reality or lower your expectations"Life never gives you something that you can't handle:)3 nice thoughts: "Kill tension before tension kills you." "Reach your goal before goal kicks you." "Live life before LIFE leaves you:"Everything happens for a reason. If you get a chance, take it. If it changes your life, let it.Golden words of H!TLER: "One who wins widout problems, it is just 'VICTORY' but.. One who wins wid lot of troubles dat is 'HISTORY':)The worst feeling is when you are being compared to someone else. I don't want to be the 'better' or 'worse' version of someone else. I just want to be me.if there is something you really want in your life, get up and start fighting for it.Life is too short to be wasted on stupid people who do not even deserve your attention, time and energy...save everything for all that matters the most.I want to be happy, but i am afraid that if i am happy, something comes along and ruins it.GOD is the best listener, you don't need to shout, nor cry out loud. because he hears even the very silent prayer of a sincere heart ;)says what's the difference between the government and the Mafia? One of them is organizedI am just one step away from being rich ,all I need now is money !!I don't like happy ending, i would prefer to have an endless happiness!I'm often silent when I am screaming inside.!The best eraser in the world is an honest confession to God.Sometimes I look at all my friends & wonder how the hell I met them, but then i stop & think "what the hell would i do without them?!" :D :D :DNobody is worth your time if they won't make time for you!One thing that can never be recycled is wasted time ...Apologizing doesn't always mean that you're wrong & the other is right. Sometimes, you just value the person much more than personal ego.Three Steps to End your PAIN. CTRL+ALT+DELETE. 1. CONTROL yourself. 2. Look for ALTERNATIVE solution. 3. DELETE the situation that caused you pain.Six letters, two words, easy to say, hard to explain, harder to do: Move On.I am applying for a GREAT weekend... I will let you know Sunday if it was approved!What a great weekend ahhh. huh? what? Oh No!! Quick! Hide!!. Monday is coming :(its so hard to say goodbye to the weekend!Welcome weekend. Please, stay as long as you want!I don't believe in failure, only delayed success : )Some people don't deserve what they have. Some people don't have what they deserveHonesty leads to temporary pain, but a lie will hurt forever!!Whoever says 'Good Morning' on Mondays deserves to get slapped.~ No other love is like a Mothers love~A mother is never truly happy unless her kids are happywishing all a happy new year and may the new year bring health and happiness to you all!END OF THE WORLD which was scheduled for 2012 has been postponed to 3012 due to some technical problem! Please co-operate & continue living with spirit! :)The greatest advantage of speaking the truth is that you don't have to remember what you said.Dear God, I just want to say thank you for everything you have done for me.life is too short, laugh when u can, apologize when u should, and let go of what u cant change, Love deeply and forgive quickly.Be happy, Stay Happy.. Love your family and friends and forget the people that don't make sense !Every second of every day is a chance to start again.Beautiful sentence with a very wonderful meaning, We need everything 'permanent' in a 'Temporary Life '."Trust takes years to build , only seconds to break , and forever to repair ". something to think about.Last Night I dreamt of you and woke up holding my pillow so tonight I'll dream of my pillow,maybe I'll wake up holding you :) <3"The 3 C's of life: Choices, chances & changes. You have to make a choice to take a chance or your life will never change."Don't depend on anyone in this world, not even on your shadow cuz it will also leave u in darkness.I have a place where i keep all my secrets, fears, feelings, and stories about my life and i know they are completely safe. That place is called my best friend.Life is much more beautiful without expectations..Behind every successful status update, there is a Ctrl+C & Ctrl+V =DI am proud of my heart. It's played, burned and broken. But still worksUnplanned moments are always better then the planned ones.*Behind every successful person, there is a teacher who once told him that he cannot achieve anything.If you can't see the bright side of life, polish the dull sideI can't do anything right till I have smoked a coffee and had a cup of cigarette.Real love doesn't care about body type, model looks, or wallet size. It's more concerned with what's inside.Dear brain...Will you stop thinking so much and let me sleep ...DEAR GOD, Thank you for giving me the inner strength to be able to handle so muchI hate it that i couldn't post what I really feel inside!!Sometimes apologizing doesn't mean I'm wrong. It just means that I value our relationship more than my ego and pride! :)The size of your success depends on the depth of your desire.Smooth roads never make good drivers. Clear sky never make good pilots. Problem free life never makes strong person. So don't ask "why me" say "try me"!Don't wait for the perfect moment, Take the moment and make it perfect. It may not be Simple, But at least it is not Impossible. :)Shakespeare says: don't share your top secret with anyone. Because, if you yourself can't keep your secrets, don't expect somebody else to keep it.May be U'll never know, May be I'll never show.Small thought but huge meaning, think after u read ; "When someone trusts u blindly.. never prove that they r blind.. "When our nails are grown, we cut the nails, not the fingers. Likewise, when there are misunderstandings, CUT THE PRIDE, NOT THE RELATIONSHIP. ;)sometimes i wish i could sleep forever.. because my dreams are always better than having to face my reality..If you have the spirit of understanding everything & taking it in a positive way you will enjoy every second of life whether it is "Pleasure" or "Pressure".Dear stress, will you please give me a break? I also need to rest. My hands are shaking, my head is aching, and my lips wants to smile even for awhile,girl: Why are you following me? Boy : Mom always tells me to follow my dreams <3I know I am someone special, cause God doesn't make mistakes."The challenges aren't there to stop you...they're there to help you grow"The truth needs no explanation!Women r like a virus: they enter your life, scan your pockets, transfer money, download their problems, delete your smile n hang u 4everPeople don't remember a thousand good things you did to them but they're surely gonna remember one bad thing u did them!Best friends are the people that make you laugh when you just want to cry.Remember your glass is half full not half empty, live life to the max and remember that no matter how bad your day is someones day is worse. hugs to all!!High expectations = High disappointments..Never look back, Never say no, Never regret, and Never let go.A winner is a dreamer who never quits!Don't keep your dreams in your eyes, they may fall as tears. Keep them in your heart so that every heartbeat may remind you to convert them into REALITY.5 benefits of kissing :* 1. Changes Taste.. 2. Lips Never Get Dry.. 3. Burns Calories.. 4. Makes Face Muscles Strong.. 5. Relieves Stress ;) Keep KissingIf loving you is wrong, I don't wanna be right. If being right means living without you, I wanna be wrong for the rest of my life.Its easy to say you have faith when everything in your life is great!The real test is keeping your faith when everything falls apart.My boss told me that I need to attend anger management classes, I told him I'm already angry at management, I don't need a class for that!!Is attempting to sleep. Please do not disturb..I am disturbed enough already..Thank You ""Sometimes you just need to distance yourself from people. If they care, they will notice and will be bothered. If they don't, you know where you stand. "who says English is easy? don't believe? then fill the blank with either "YES or NO" "oh____, I am a monkey."2 important thoughts a person should bear in mind - use things , not people . love people , not things.Dear God, Today I do not want to ask for anything. I just want to let you know that I love and appreciate you. Thank you for everything.Life is a dream for the wise, a game for the fool, a comedy for the rich, a tragedy for the poor.The brilliance of your mind is completely destroyed by the ignorance of your mouth.Thinks life should have a Ctrl-Alt-Dlt optionRunning away from the problem only increases the distance from the solution.I'm silent not coz i'm afraid, i'm just thinking, will you ever recover if I fight you back?Never expect things because what you expect never happens and unexpected turns out in your way.I hate two-faced people. It makes it harder for me to decide which side to slap first.Me without you? Is like Facebook without friends, Youtube without vids, and Google with no resultsYou're always gonna miss your chance, if you never take a risk.Life's too short to wake up with regrets. Love the people who treat you right. Forget about the ones who don't. Believe everything happens for a reason.Sometimes saying sorry is the most expensive thing, but it is the cheapest way of getting a priceless effectThe good memories are kept in your mind the best are kept in your heart.trusting a person is to give the power to destroy u completely but having confidence that they wontMy parents should be proud of me because I'm addicted to Quora, not to drugs.I don't have to worry because I have Faith in what God has planned for me!Dream it.. Believe it.. Work for it.. Achieve it !!!!!The biggest mistake by most human beings: "listening half, understanding quarter, telling double"If you want to succeed in your life... kill the emotions and let your brain work..Never say you have failed until you have reached your last attempt, and never say it's your last attempt until you have succeeded..Be stylish but look simple ,be tough but look soft ,be a failure but look perfect ,be a beginner but look winner that's the style of life ..The Difference Between Dreams and Success is, dreams need effortless sleep and success needs sleepless efforts :)Life is not so easy, some things are difficult to attain but if you take the first step of faith you'll always succeed..The post office just released a new stamp in the shape of a vagina, but its not selling because only 3% of men know how to lick the damn thingNewton's Latest law " For every idiot there is an equal and opposite idiot_" They are called HUSBAND & WIFE. .Discussion is an exchange of knowledge; argument is an exchange of ignorance.One day I will hit you so hard, even GOOGLE won't be able to find you.Life has no remote, change it yourself!if you feel the need to talk about me behind my back , its only because you don't have the guts to say it to my face .trust is an expensive thing, don't expect it from cheap people...The biggest mistake is to think that it's too late to start something... and not doing anything at all.Don't be so serious. If you can't laugh at yourself, call me...I'll laugh at you.Dear Vacation! Where are you? I miss you so much. Please visit me soon!Love ur enemies.. It'll confuse them!!A bottle of wine contains more philosophy than all the books in the worldArgument may win the situation but lose the person, but Patience may lose the situation but win the personWhen you focus on problems, you will have more problems. When you focus on possibilities, you will have more opportunities. Dream. Wish. Make it happen.There is going to be a time in your life when someone says you can't do it. That's when you turn around and say "watch me".when your teacher says "get out", it means you've won the argument:P"Good things happen fast and all at once, but great things take time and effort"We try, We fail, We try, We fail but the only true failure is when we stop trying.Many stones you will find on your path. It's up to you what you make from it ; A Bridge or a Wall..