(article continued below ...)

1. Build a culture of action and enthusiasm.  During your first year, you will face a lot of questions about your experience. The best -- and probably only -- way to overcome them is to impress clients with your vigor and dynamism. If you want to be perceived as youthful, forward-thinking and results-oriented, be proactive! Reward your people for taking the initiative. You'll have a huge competitive advantage over established companies.  Many clients will pay, and even take a bit of a risk, to get young, energetic minds on their side.

2. Take daily action on your business plan. What separates successful entrepreneurs from floundering entrepreneurs? A daily commitment to fulfilling the benchmarks, both short- and long-term, you have set for your company. Every day, you have to be willing to put the time in and do what needs to be done to move your business forward, in a measurable way. For some people, this means making ten sales calls a day, no matter what. for others, it means conducting a daily status meeting and troubleshooting with your team.

3. Get your website up and running. Your website has to say "This is who we are" to the world in a way that's compelling. A great web design doesn't have to cost a fortune. If you don't have the HTML skills or graphic talent in-house, look for a young and hungry web designer who's looking for shot, as you are. Expect to update your website regularly and improve it constantly over time. Having a website with months-old or irrelevant information is a real deal-killer. It makes your company look stagnant, at best.

4. Talk to absolutely everyone about what you do. During the first year, you must be the mouthpiece for your business. Talking to people about your business at parties, at family gatherings, at outings like sporting events should become second nature. Consider every person who crosses your path a sales opportunity, even if he or she might not ever be the end customer. In addition to continual word-of-mouth marketing, pick up the phone and call reporters to let them know what you're doing.

5. Try to fund it yourself, or mostly yourself. It pays to go after the least amount of funding that is necessary. When you're starting out, it feels good to say that some venture-capital firm invested millions of dollars in your idea. But a few years down the road, when you're doing well, it will not feel so great to know that you own only 25 percent of your company.