Make sure that pick up business cards from all other exhibitors at trade show as well. Some may be immediate customers, while others may have potential to become strategic partners.

After show - call or contact all those people who stopped by your booth, and indicated an interest in one of your products or services. Try to get in touch with them within a week at most. Keep track of those people who find you through trade show and later buy from you. Figure out how much your expenses were to be in show (include booth rental, your time, items for your display, gas to get there, parking, etc.) Now figure out profit (include expenses for materials and supplies to make your product - don't forget shipping & packaging). Now you have your ROI (return on investment). THIS IS A CRITICAL number that will allow you to assess whether or not it is worth doing this trade show again.

Some trade shows prohibit direct selling at show - they only allow you to take orders. In this case you MUST do follow up. Do NOT assume that people will call you - they WON'T! If you don't believe me - answer this: How many times have YOU called someone you met at a trade show, even if you just adored their product? If you don't like doing follow up phone calls, hire someone to do it for you. If you're not going to do calls at all - don't even bother doing show - you're wasting time and money.

Be sure to send a hand written letter of thanks to show organizers. If show has been successful for you, make sure you're on list for next year. Lastly don't expect immediate results - trade shows take time to pay off (IF you do your homework after show!)

Each trade show you do will teach you something – be open to learning. Smile, wear comfortable shoes, drink lots of water and get plenty of rest before and after show! AND DO YOUR FOLLOW UP!

5. Accepting weak any bodies. Whether its weak staff, weak clients, weak strategic alliances, or anyone else in your support realm. If you are attracting weak people, you are giving weak signals. Change your signals and you will change what you attract. To attract strong people, you need strong signals.

6. Confusing possibility with reality. One of main characteristics of an entrepreneur, and this could be one of reasons people may not like using name, is their gift to see everything in possibilities, yet spend money in world of reality. Money is always reality.

7. Selling or trying too hard to explain what you sell. If you find yourself pushing what you're product or service does, it is time to change your "success formula." Common causes are: (1) You are trying to sell to someone who isn't your target, or (2) If you have right target and you don't know what you are selling. You can only handle this in two ways, know what customers are buying, or know benefits of what you are selling. Benefits in terms customers need to hear and understand, not what you choose to say.

8. Lack of any or adequate support structures. If it takes a village to raise a child, what do you think it takes to raise a business. Surely, not a lone ranger. Work with others to help handle your many business and personal needs. Entrepreneurs need support, even if it’s only a feeling. Arrange to have a support structure for every part of your business. Keep in mind tip number five above for this as well.

9. Over or under delegating. It is so hard for entrepreneurs to begin to delegate. Yet once they do they seem to swing pendulum completely to opposite side and over delegate. Over delegating is "dumping" on people. Even paid people, don't like being dumped on. Feeling in control is a need of most people, entrepreneurs aren't any different. They look at it as a money or trust issue, when in actuality it’s usually a control issue. Delegate appropriately and with people that think you can trust. Let trust build over time.

10. Stop giving up so easily. Successful entrepreneurs don't see failure. They see learning lessons. They pick themselves up, dust themselves off, change and adjust, and keep moving. Being an entrepreneur, during early years of a business -- that is under five years for most professionals, takes more work than being an employee. Even if you are a graduate with an MBA in business. Don't include your learning curve time in with rest of your time. Everyone has a learning curve of some kind.