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pajamas, but when you meet with clients, you have to dress well enough to project an air of professionalism. "Business casual" is probably OK most of the time, but it is a good idea to err on the side of being just a little more dressed up than expected.

Hire a graphic designer and get professional business cards, letterhead, and envelopes. Don't scrimp here and try to do it yourself. (See comments above about accountants and lawyers.)

Whenever you have written contact with prospects or clients, be sure to use correct spelling and grammar. Some people don't care about sloppy spelling, but you must. You can't risk losing an account because of laziness. By the way, spell-check alone won't catch every mistake. Ask any of my costumers.

Be available, be resourceful, and do your work to the highest possible quality standards, on time, and on budget.

You can never do too much research or prepare yourself too completely. Talk to people who have already done what you are planning to do.

9. How Well Do You Listen?

We all know people with the "gift" of gab, people who can't go for more then five minutes in a meeting without hearing themselves talk. While it doesn't hurt to be able to "schmooze" with your customers, it is much more important to listen to them. To reiterate my point above: listening well is a crucial communications skill.

Develop and refine your interviewing skills not as in interviewing for a job, but as in interviewing customers to find out what they really need. Bring along a cheat sheet of questions if that helps you.

Take notes. Ask follow-up questions. Don't be afraid to keep asking questions until you fully understand. And don't hesitate to call them back later with any additional questions that might come up. A client who feels "heard" will be a happy client - even if his/her ideas are not the ones followed in the end.

10. Are You Flexible?

With a regular job, even if you get the chance to do many different types of things, you are still working in a single industry for a company with its own unique corporate culture. When you go into business for yourself, you'll need to be nimble enough to adjust to all sorts of businesses and many unusual corporate cultures.

For example, one of my customers is a large, very conservative insurance company. Both in terms of attitudes and architecture, I find myself stepping back in time to the 1950's when I work for this company.

You'll need to be able to play as a team leader and as a team member being in charge of the whole

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