1. Be kind, make allies, AND MOST IMPORTANTLY don’t negatively gossip about others like a teenager.  You don’t have to have sleepover parties, but it’s good to have colleagues you can laugh with.  Choose close colleagues wisely, and don’t talk behind anyone’s back.  Smack talk is more a reflection on YOU, rather then the person you talk about.  If you have an issue with someone else, confront him or her proactively, and don’t say anything to anyone that you wouldn’t say to your face. Be kind. Be an adult.
  2. If you build something yourself, no one can take it away from you (if you own it).  It is better to start a business in your 20’s and fail, because you can’t start a company in your 40’s and crash on your parents couch.  Well you can, but you get my drift.
  3. Any “too good to be true” opportunity is most always going to be “too good to be true.”  There are always cracks in the pavement, figure out the problems and find solutions.  Know your partners.
  4. Know the cash flow, and stay curiously learning.  As a corporate contributor, you need to understand fully where the company is at financially even if you are not the CFO.  Lunches, bi weekly chats, whatever it takes, you need to be mindful of the financial status of the company even prior to joining, and keep allies in all departments via Slack chat, whatever. 
  5. All relationships are your bread and butter. Good or bad, being respectful AND knowledgeable is key.
  6. Ask questions like Larry King before you enter into new partnership opportunities. The more you know about your clients and partner the better.  My friend was so excited to accept a new position at a company at her dream job, with the highest salary she had gotten in years.  She arrived into the company on my first day finding out that it hadn’t been profitable in years, cash flow was low, investments were thinking of pulling. Ask questions, the more you know ahead of time the more you can protect your most valuable asset, yourself.
  7. Never hire friends or family. There are no friends in business.  Hiring friends seems like a great idea right?  They have been loyal friends; they should be loyal coworkers too, right?  WRONG. People are human, and people get jealous. My friend hired two of her friends at her job, one left for another bigger competitor and got a bigger offer leaving her shit out of luck, the other made it their job to talk bad about her behind her back which led to her eventual demise in the company.  Working with friends is never a good idea as you get too emotionally invested and less transaction savvy, meaning you think with your heart instead of your head.
  8. Seize opportunity and career advancement in the form of higher titles, and do the work to get there. Do great work. When your boss is fired, offer to take the position. Seize before someone else does.  You better believe you need to step up and take over this position or ring in closely with other department heads to make sure your job is secure.
  9. You are what you think and you are what you eat.  Clear, positive, and helpful self-thinking AND clean eating compliments each other.  Staying mentally and physically healthy, and prioritizing your health first it critical.

What other tips did I leave out? Leave your comments below!