As we move from a consumer to a b2b Internet boom, it's vital to understand that your good name is everything, and that you know how to protect it. You need confederates inside and outside your company who trust your word, and you need to be worthy of that trust. There are some successful jerks in this business, but in the long run they don't get far, and in the long run the successes among them aren't as jerky as they seem. If you follow these Clues you will make money, maybe not in this start-up but in the next or the next. Most of this industry's big players succeeded only on their third, fourth, or fifth try.
Experience is the best teacher.
So fail now, and learn from it. Build your own stack of Clues. That's the surest path to riches. I have begun my adventure at Voxcap. Com , discussing how next year's elections might impact the future of the Internet.