L'art de (se) diriger ( le blog de Laurent Pellegrin)

An entrepreneur’s life can be a real roller coaster. Having started a few businesses in her career, Nellie Akalp on the American Express Open forum thought it would be useful to highlight some of the hard-won experience she's learned throughout the process — the kind of advice she wish she’d known when she started her first, or even second, business.

1. Don't underestimate a business plan;
2. Don't get stuck in the past;
3. Don't hire friends;
4. Don't dive in without a plan;
5. Don't fall into a discount trap;
6. Don't be afraid to fail. 

While you can’t guarantee the outcome of any new venture, you can stack the odds in your favor. These are six lessons learned over time and countless others are out there. If you’re open, you can gain wisdom from everything you try and gather insight from fellow entrepreneurs. What do you wish you knew when you started your first business?