Yesterday we took a look at the kinds of people that can really stymie your business growth. They are what the blog Escape from Cubicle Nation refers to as the "integrity challenged." Today we will look at some things that Escape points out can protect you as you start your own business:

Observe others for quite some time before actually trusting them

Clarify all documents and agreements (discuss them as well)

Research the background of the person or business

Don’t forget that some situations may call for a lawyer (do this before entering into any important partnerships)

Leave as quickly as you can legally as soon as evidence of unethical behavior presents itself

Use a credit card to pay (you are less liable, and the credit card company refunds you if someone doesn’t deliver on the goods)

And when something bad does go down (as it will at some point), take it as a learning experience. I had a rather unfortunate experience with doing a great deal of blogging for one client. $2,000 later (others  got jipped as well) I decided that I would charge at the beginning of the month rather than the end for large clients. And I learned that reputation is important. When I left the deadbeat, one of his major clients came with me because I was ethical and the deadbeat was not.