1
Always keep in mind that the complaining customer is your very best friend, someone to treasure
2
Just do the business; the costs will take care of themselves
3
Always give your customers more than they bargained for
4
Don’t research the market; test it instead
5
Always keep in mind that you can never win an argument with a customer
6
Always return every electronic communication - phone call, FAX, and e-mail mesage - the same day you receive it
7
Always run your business for the convenience of your customers, not for your or your employees’ convenience
8
Never impose a minimum charge or fee on people who want to do business with you
9
Always have an immediate, right-now, risk-free, money-back, no-hassle return policy
10
Whenever company policy gets in the way of customer satisfaction, change company policy
11
Never use either government statistics or “the state of the economy” as a basis for decision-making
12
Never squeeze your suppliers dry. Always see to it that they make money on you
13
Don’t ever give a consultant final say on anything
14
Always treat your small customers as though they were big customers
15
Always take the word of an expert with several grains of salt
16
Always start your business on a shoestring
17
Always be suspicious of statistics when they’re about people; learn to rely on anecdotal evidence instead
18
Cultivate your street-smarts and let your school-smarts atrophy
19
Forget about luck; there’s no such thing
20
Never be faked out by “problems”; they exist only in your head
21
Hang out with successful people as much as you can; their optimism and confidence are contagious
22
When choosing business associates, shun talkers, embrace doers, and stay away from people who start things but never finish them
23
Don’t ever seek or take the advice of an economist
24
Always keep your eye on the ball - scoring points, not just gaining yards
25
Never raise a white flag in response to a challenge
26
Always keep in mind that every setback in business can be a blessing in disguise
27
Don’t compete in terms of price alone; compete on the basis of quality as well
28
Don’t ever be penny wise and pound foolish
29
Just do it!
30
Never forget that when you’re in business, the buck stops with you. Period
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About the Author
Dr. Irving David Shapiro

as four college degrees: one doctorate, two master's, and one bachelor's.

Held professorial rank in the USC Graduate School of Business Administration after a brief stint as a teaching assistant in statistics at Columbia University.
Wrote two books on language, thinking, and communication, and one book on pro football running backs.
Has had sixteen articles published in various publications, as well as an entire chapter from one of his books in Et Cetera, the International Society for General Semantics quarterly.
Is founder and president of the Mens Sana Foundation.
Is a member of Mensa.
Is the creator and leader of the Mens Sana Foundation Socratic Discourse on Thinking and Communication.
Was a consultant to several large firms.
Was co-founder of a California Bank.
Ran his own architectural and city planning firm.
Was a stage actor, appearing in six plays.
Had the highest tested-IQ of all the New York State graduating grade school pupils in 1934.
Was student president of John Jay Toastmasters while at college.
Was a Ford Foundation Fellow, a Harriman Scholar, and an Armand G. Erpf Scholar.
Has been extensively interviewed on radio stations across the country.
Has received many awards, prizes, and other honors – both academic and professional.
Was a radio talk-show host and newsman.
Is the founder and CEO of LyceumOnline, an Internet-based school.
Wrote and broadcast a daily think-piece on radio for a number of years.
Interviewed by the Oakland Tribune.