More comments from Marketplace listeners

MARCUS LEE of I.T. company Circulent on listening to your customers:
As a self-starter, you must be open to constructive criticism, but also seek it out on a constant basis. Without asking your peers and community members their wants and needs, you'll get nowhere. You must ask and embrace the feedback so you know how to better serve your customers.

LALITA AMOS of leadership/development consulting firm Total Team Solutions on asking for help:
I got a business coach several years ago, who helped me do some of my very best thinking in my business. Note: I am a long-time trained, certified coach and adjunct faculty member at NYU who has taught principles in coaching. I needed the help and wasn't too proud to ask. My coach wasn't an expert in my business or my process — I didn't need that. I needed someone who could help me put all the key pieces together.

ROSE PERRIZO, a solo real estate consultant, on the trials of going from big to small-time business:
The biggest hurdle was getting over my own ego. At first I worried about the stigma of a "home office" rather than prime Class A downtown office building address, but realized that my clients primarily hire me and my expertise. I now work exclusively in eastern Massachusetts on deals worth $1 million to $10 million for smaller, less sophisticated clients. The reward of flexibility and time on the home front far outweighs the lack of "glamorous" perks associated with a city office, travel, etc.

ROBIN INGENTHRON of Good Point Recycling on utilizing available resources:
I had a commercial truck driver's license and an MBA . . . As a former government regulator, I saw electronics recycling — the responsible management of used computers and TVs — was splitting between companies which smashed everything as a "hazardous waste" and companies which exported everything, junk and all, under the "reuse" banner. I thought people would understand if I explained a "middle path," that neither extreme really appealed to most people. And I knew from my time in Peace Corps that there were smart repair people everywhere: you just had to find them, shake hands, and count your fingers afterwards.

KRISTIE PRINZ, law firm proprietor, on fluctuating capital:
I think the troubles would be all about managing to scrape by when the money runs out and your clients tell you that they can't pay you right away. I have gone to such lengths to stay in business at times! Over time, however, I have learned to be creative and to think outside the box when things have gotten tight. Also, I have developed more stringent payment policies and turned down clients who don't meet them.

NIC NAKIS, founder of several small businesses, on learning from failure:
Most of my failures have come through shortchanging the research process (leaping before you look), shortchanging the effort process (getting lazy, busy, or unfocused), or shortchanging the learning process (forgetting to reflect, to ask questions, and to change things). None of these mistakes have plagued me vary badly, and from what I hear, they are pretty common. I've done a wide variety of tasks and played a lot of roles, but been able to identify a couple of clear keys to success: