Tell anyone and everyone your idea without fear they're going to steal it.

Solve a real problem and the world is yours.

Solve a real problem. You don't start a company because you want to be an entrepreneur or the fame and glory that comes along with it. You become an entrepreneur to solve a real problem.

Observe the world around you everything you do, and especially everything you hate to do.

The other big factor in building trust quickly is site design quality. Mint.com has one of the best graphic designers ever (Jason Putorti) - he cares about every pixel, all the fonts, all the transparencies and effects. And that shows instantly. People do make judgments of trust on appearance - in the real world and online.

People do make judgments of trust on appearance - in the real world and online.

It's okay to doubt yourself, it's okay to feel down just never give up.

Recessions are great because they unlock the best people.

When valuing a startup, add $500k for every engineer, and subtract $250k for every MBA.