You could probably call me a ‘serial entrepreneur’.

Over the last seven years I’ve been involved in about five different businesses (and about twenty-five websites or more).

I’ve been a Soapmaker, a Canadian Registered Education Savings Plan rep, a Soy Candle rep, a Virtual Assistant and an Internet Marketer.

And oh the lessons I have learned. Here are my top seven:

1. don’t run a business on credit – Yea, I know, it’s obvious, right? Well I’ll admit right here and right now that I’m just bad with credit.

From the time I turned 19 I became dependent on credit for no other reason than it was cool to have credit. I never learned to live without it and I tried to run a few of those businesses above around credit cards. It just doesn’t work.

I’m proud to say that I now run my business completely without credit cards and am definitely planning to keep it that way.

2. don’t chase opportunities – I am impatient. In the beginning and even later on I would fall for the money-talk.

You know that talk where someone tells you how much money they are making in their business and says you should join them. I did that on more than one occassion.

Quit chasing opportunities and start following real goals.

3. don’t try to be everything – When I started my Soapmaking business I wanted to go big, I wanted to be like a company called Sunfeather that produces lots and lots of soap every year.

It was kinda like trying to build the Titanic when I’d never even built a rowboat. You’ve gotta start with the basics and not try to be everything at once.

4. don’t try to be someone else - Oh I tried so hard to be like other successful entrepreneurs I met online. The one that comes to mind the most though is Alice Seba of InternetMarketingSweetie.com.

Alice is wonderful and she’s successful. Alice also puts out tons of great products and content. I wanted to be like Alice, ok, let’s be honest here – I wanted to BE Alice.

but I’m not Alice. I’m Angela. There’s only one me and that’s what makes my business unique, different and great. So now I just try to be me and as much of me as I can put into my business.

5. really, really love what you do

When you love what you do nothing can stop you.

When you hate what you do anything can stop you.

The businesses I really wasn’t digging made it really easy to just slow right down when I had any kind of issues came up.

6. don’t lie to yourself (aka denial) – Don’t tell yourself lies.

Some people tell themselves it’s ok to spend so much money on their business or that they are in the right business and just need some time to get it right.

Make sure you don’t lie to yourself and tell yourself what you want to hear. Know who you are and listen to your internal signals when something isn’t right.

7. if it’s not working, know when to quit! – Seth Godin talks about something called ‘The Dip’ in his book of the same name.

Basically the dip is a point in your business where it gets really hard and that’s the point where most people quit. So I thought I was in the dip a number of times but really afterwards I realized I just didn’t have what I needed to be in the businesses I had chosen – the drive to make them successful.

If you don’t have an unstoppable drive and passion for a business, then it’s just not right for you.

When I did my first show and interviewed Kelly McCausey, she talked about seeing a ‘Big Vision’ for your company. Do you see neverending possibilities for you business? If so you’re probably heading in the right direction!