First, I remembered to live my story.

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If you wait for the timing to be right before you make a move, you may never make a move at all. As a rule, you can pretty much count on time to create some of the scariest moments in your business career.

The lesson: The power of your story isn’t just a way to connect to your ultimate consumer but is also a means of making you attractive to potential partners who want to attach themselves to something deeper than buying and selling.

This is why the woman at the airport matters. Every company needs supporters like her. Customers and employees come and go. Supporters are with you for the long haul.

The heart of great proactive customer service is empathy. If you ever enter into a dispute with a customer, treat him or her as you would like to be treated.

you don’t need bells and whistles to run a business. All you really need is a website, business cards, and a place where you can work.

I use it when necessary, not through habit.

Simple ideas are also easily adaptable to changing times—and sometimes they never have to be adapted at all.