When I was a kid in Wisconsin, every little stream had a wooden bridge over it. Sometimes one of the boards would rot—but it would rot from the inside, so you didn't know it was rotten 'til you put your foot through it.

Those of us who choose to create our own businesses are usually pretty good at what we do. You realize, though, that there are things you don't know. So, you get help, or learn something, or if you can, avoid them.

But what about the things you don't know you don't know?

Anyone who tells you they have all the answers is lying. I don't have all the answers; I just want to be sure you know what the questions are. The purpose of The Commonsense Entrepreneur is to help you ferret out the things you don't know you don't know, before you put your foot through the bridge.

It's more of a 'why to' than a 'how to'—it deals very much with how people think, including us!

You've heard plenty about 'best practices.' But 'best' isn't a series of steps to follow. Best is a guided outcome. Best is different from perfect. Best includes practicality, feasibility.

While every situation has a 'best' solution, there are principles that those best solutions are built on. You're going to be creating these best solutions on the fly. You can't always go consult someone else-and you don't want to. Instead, have a good solid foundation in yourself and you can make these customized best solutions.