I did something rather innovative that my competitors didn't like: I took out a full-page advertisement in the Yellow Pages that listed an office on the east side of Cincinnati, and another office on the west side, while every other heating/air-conditioning company had only one location and one phone number. I was the citywide company. In fact, our 'westside office' was just an answering service taking telephone message. From the start we appeared to be a big company.

You only stay in front by coming up with ideas your new competitors haven't thought of yet.

One of the big problems entrepreneurs run into is they get too comfortable.

By definition startups usually do not turn a profit.

When I was starting out, being a young entrepreneur was not fashionable. Parents would ask, 'When are you going to get a real job?'

Nothing turns off an investor more than when an entrepreneur comes in with a ridiculous valuation.

People must be realistic when evaluating their business.