Tip Number 1. Keep your overheads low. This is essential for your survival in the early days.

Tip Number 2. Avoid fixed overheads where possible. By fixed I mean things that commit a new business to more than a three months contract.

Tip Number 3. Work from home for as long as you can. Working from home is cheap and allows you to work on into the night or at weekends if absolutely necessary.

Tip Number 4. Find a suitably qualified mentor. Suitably qualified can mean someone who understands your chosen business or is experienced in business generally but not someone down the pub who just likes the sound of his own voice.

Tip Number 5. Avoid borrowing where possible. Critical this, especially in the early stage. Not always possible to achieve but think seriously before and not after you commit.

Tip Number 6. Buy the best computer equipment you can afford. In fact always try to buy the best you can afford of anything.

Tip Number 7. Use hotel lobby’s, cafes or other venues rather than taking on fixed office overhead.

Tip Number 8. Try to avoid borrowing from friends or family is you can, if the business doesn’t work the fallout can be catastrophic.

Tip Number 9. Always remember that with no sales you have no business so focus on selling.

Tip Number 10. Keep your administration in one place but back it up to the cloud or an external hard drive.

Tip Number 11. Take time off. Do not work every hour available, take frequent short breaks.

Tip 12. Avoid toxic people or negative thinkers who tell you that you can’t succeed. YES YOU CAN.

Tip 13. Advertise, use every means you can to get your sales message out there. Don’t be shy about telling people about your product or service. If you don’t tell them how will they know.

14. Understand every aspect of your business. Read about it, watch TV programmes about the area of business you are in and check for other related news stories.

15. Be realistic but optimistic. We live in a World where fantastic things are possible. Huge metal birds fill our sky’s, we travel around in boxes that move without any real effort on our part and antibiotics exist that chase Diseases around our bodies before destroying them. Believe in yourself.

16. Avoid Alchohol on days when you need to focus.

17. Make sure you get enough sleep. Sleep replenishes you ready to have another go tomorrow.

18. Eat foods that give you energy.

19. Avoid falling out with people, just walk away nicely
, but nonetheless firmly.

20. Enjoy yourself, you only live once so plan for tomorrow but live for today.

Have I always lived by these rules, no unfortunately I haven’t but over the years they are ones that I have leaned to adopt today because they work. There are many others which I will publish shortly but all are the result of common sense and asking many successful friends how they have survived and prospered.