1. Write the crappy first draft. Don't get caught missing a deadline or second guessing your writing because you believe every single word has to be perfect. That's what first drafts are for, writes OPEN Forum contributor Erika Napoletano. "Good writing doesn’t happen out of the gate. When you sit down to get that crappy first draft out of your brain and onto paper, you’re planting the seeds for more successful ideas." (From "3 Things I Learned at Second City That Changed My Business," by Erika Napoletano)

2. Get two screens for your desk. Changing your workspace can have an incredible impact on your productivity. Using dual monitors in the office is a great way to limit hunting for what you need between multiple tabs and windows, saving you loads of time in lost productivity. (From "6 Easy Changes to Make Your Work Productivity Skyrocket ," by Mike Michalowicz)

3. Start working on an "act two" product. Companies that hit the $100 million mark occupy a rarified space: only 28 percent make it, while the others stall out before they can break into nine-digit revenue. A recent study found that those companies that are able to hit that milestone created new products while still promoting and enjoying the success of their first big-break item. This opens up another potential revenue stream for the company; if the second product becomes a big hit, even better!  (From "3 Things Businesses Do to Pass the $100M Mark," by James O'Brien)

4. Create refuge spaces for your employees. Open offices are facing a backlash due to recent research that finds the layout once thought to improve office productivity through collaboration actually hurts worker's effectiveness. Since open-office plans aren't going away, experts advise employers to "create different user experiences so someone can pick and choose what kind of environment they want to have throughout their day,” says Nicole Coughlin of Knoll, an office furniture company. This includes a refuge space -- a place where an employee can go to get work done, make private phone calls, etc. (From "Open-Office Backlash: Seeking Productivity in a Noisy World," by Anthonia Akitunde)

5. Don't ignore self-employment taxes. Business owners often overlook taking self-employment and its estimated tax payments into consideration come tax time. Remember, if you make more than $400 from your business, you're subject to paying self-employment tax. (From "4 Common Tax Mistakes Small Businesses Make," by Julie Bawden Davis)

6. Bootstrap your viral video. You don't need to spend a small fortune on producing content in the hopes it will go viral a la Old Spice. "Instead, build a team of people who love the idea," writes OPEN Forum contributor Phaedra Hise. "When people buy into a concept, they'll not only work for less pay, but they'll also help promote the final product because they have skin in the game." It's how last year's viral sensation "Camp Gyno" started for HelloFlo founder Naama Bloom. "Once people saw the script, it was so good that they wanted to be a part of it,” Bloom says. “They knew upfront I had no money.” (From "Method in the Madness: The Art and Science of Going Viral," by Phaedra Hise)

7. Create interest groups online. Taking your business offline is just as important to your marketing efforts as social media and SEO, writes marketing expert John Jantsch. "There are many online tools and networks that you can employ to find, assemble and drive people offline," he writes. "Think about using tools like Meetup or LinkedIn Groups to create and moderate special interest groups that can turn into lead generators for your business or community." (From "5 Offline Marketing Tactics That Get Huge Results," by John Jantsch)

8. Set guides for social media success. Most people assume it's hard to detect your return on investment with social media efforts, but that's simply not true, writes Danny Brown, the manager of social engagement and insights at iGaming, OLG. "All you need to do is set your success guides—what you want to achieve and how long you want to spend achieving it—then measure your results against that," Brown writes. For example, if you want to determine the ROI on your Facebook efforts you could see how many times your promotion message was liked. (From "6 Ways to Accurately Measure Your Social Media ROI," by Danny Brown)

9. Add a new perspective to your industry. One of the biggest mistakes content marketers make is repeating what everyone else is saying about their industry. "Invest time in coming up with original angles of approach or solutions for old problems," writes Phil Laboon, the CEO of Eyeflow. "If you want to position yourself as an authority in your field, you'll have to put out genuine thought leadership content." (From "Top 3 Worst Content Marketing Mistakes (and How to Avoid Them)," by Phil Laboon)

10. Identify and define your joy. It's easy to lose that loving feeling you once had for your business once you become deeply immersed with the less-fun aspects of running a company. But don't lose sight of your joy! “Remind yourself why you got into business in the first place,” Allison Rimm, a management consultant and the author of The Joy of Strategy: A Business Plan for Life, told OPEN Forum. “Look at your calendar, and do an analysis of how you’re spending your time. How much of the week are you spending doing the work you love? How much time are you spending on the operational details of running a business?” (From "3 Key Steps to Finding Joy in Your Work Life," by Rieva Lesonsky)

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