Legendary martial artist, Bruce Lee, once said, “Knowing is not enough, we must apply. Willing is not enough, we must do.” However, since we are experiential creatures, sometimes knowing what to do comes out of knowing what not to do.

In the world of entrepreneurship and small-business start-ups, there are many tips on how to be successful but not too many on how not to be.

Setting up your own online business is no different than the real world. You go through the same motions and have to understand that, eventually, you may join the other 90% of businesses that fail. Listed below are some lessons on what not to do – so that you may find your own way of staying within the successful 10%:

1)  Ignore your readers or viewers.

2)  Boast about yourself.

3) Make connections through social media circuits, then leave them to die.

4) Create a blog with all your passions and interests rolled into one.

5) Write an article without considering the flow of information.

6) Not provide an e-newsletter.

7) Only talk to people in the virtual realm.

The above items are things I have either dealt with already, or continue to struggle with today. However, by addressing them, I have accepted my failures (or downfalls – to be polite) so that I may learn from them, move on, and then apply new strategies.

Adaptability is key, so if you don’t know what to do, use your deductive reasoning abilities to figure out what not to do, and then you’ll know what to do.

Anything further you would like to add to this list?

Author Bio: George Samuels is a third-cultured, freelance web designer & animator, looking for a way to return all that he has been fortunate enough to receive. George enjoys all things related to computer graphics, design and animation; is fascinated by social media; and loves education at any level. To learn more about George, visit him online at www.siosism.com.

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