Signing off on his popular small business blog, Rob May runs down the ten most important things he’s learned in his five years of blogging about all things business.

We offer them here as a tool to give today’s up-and-coming entrepreneurs quick access to knowledge it took an industry veteran years of hard work to arrive at. If you like what you see, check out the original article here.

10. Luck Matters. … Talent and hard work will put you in a good position, but to get to the upper echelons of success, I think most of us need some good luck and timing.

9. Touchy Feely vs. Analytical. … It is soooo much easier to be successful in a business with good economics, even if you make some mistakes, than in an industry with lousy economics but a hip fun workplace. For entrepreneurs, I think the key approach should be to look for opportunities in markets where the economics are changing.

8. Beware of the Hype. … I have a love-hate relationship with PR. I realize it is important to stay “top of mind,” but at the same time, it is so contrived and artificial most of the time that I hate to be a part of it. The lesson here is that when you see someone sitting on a panel at a conference, when you see them get an article published in a magazine or newspaper, when you see them cited as an industry leader, that doesn’t really mean you should listen to them or that they have any idea what they are talking about. Do your own research and ask them tough questions. Don’t base your awe of them on their aphorisms.

7. It is Always Easy to See What You Want to See. It took me almost 2 years to find a financial partner for my first business. Then a few months into it, I realized the margins would never be what I wanted them to be. Dozens of people told me why it wouldn’t work (lousy industry economics, primarily) but I didn’t listen. It was sexy and cool, and I wanted to be sexy and cool to. I saw what I wanted to see. I didn’t listen. …

6. Do Stuff. I used to plan and talk, plan and talk, plan and talk. I’m not criticizing planning or talking… they can be beneficial, but now I prefer to do something instead of talking. Your plans will probably be wrong on anything that is new, so you may as well just start doing. Doing stuff gives you a better “feel” for a business than all the planning in the world. …

5. Failure Doesn’t Really Matter. … Many “failures” are only temporary setbacks, and if you don’t let them scare you and demoralize you, they can be turned into wins. … Failure is almost always a great learning experience.

4. Find Your People. … Spend your time finding investors who are looking for ideas like yours instead of convincing investors who don’t care that they should listen to you. Spend time finding employees who believe in what you are doing instead of convincing potential hires that they should want to come work for you. Spend time searching for a customer who needs and wants what you have, instead of trying to convince someone who doesn’t that they should want it. …

3. Revenge is a Waste of Time and Energy. Business can lead to situations that make you angry and make you want to go crush an ex-employee, ex-customer, competitor, or whoever. While spite may be a good motivator, revenge is typically a lousy use of resources. Blow it off. Take the high road. …

2. Help Others Reach Their Goals. … Everyone has dreams and if you can help them reach those dreams, most of them will go to the ends of the earth to help you out down the road. When skilled employees are ready to move on, don’t be mad, be happy for them. When customers have outgrown you and need a different type of provider, help them find what they need, don’t be angry at them. Don’t be one of those people who only takes and takes in a relationship. Be a giver, even if other people call you a sucker. In the long run, you will be better off.

1. Relationships, relationships, relationships. The single biggest thing that I have learned is that relationships matter. People like to work with people they trust. Five years ago, I thought I would be a successful entrepreneur some day because I would hole up in my house and read all kinds of technology and business books and play with lots of software and then have some breakthrough insight that would shake up the world on its own. Now I think if I am ever highly successful, it will be because a bunch of people helped me get there. …