During an entrepreneurship workshop with art students and creative professionals at the University of Florida last Fall, someone asked me what would be the one thing I would have done differently in my business, if I could turn back the clock.

The question stopped me in my tracks, because if you ask any solo entrepreneur who has been in business for a while about the things they wish they could do over, the list is often a mile long.

I thought about how I wish I had known more about cash flow, or been able to make painful business decisions more quickly, instead of foolishly thinking the situation would magically improve on its own. I wish I had been a better judge of which people deserved my trust, and who didn't. Or hadn't been so timid, and just stepped right up and grabbed an idea and ran with it for all it was worth. Oh, yeah, lots of things. But no big regrets -- except for one.

For of all the things I wish I could do over, this would be it: I wish I had kept a single source of all my contacts. I've met so many amazing people over the last 20+ years. From the earliest days, I carefully collected names and contact information. But because it was an era of limited digital technology, they ended up in Day-Timer address books (scrawled in tiny ink), rolodexes (remember those?), Palm Pilots and other PDAs, as well as the digital address books on more than a dozen computers. Fortunately, the transfer of digital information has been streamlined in recent years -- but I know there are many individuals I lost track of.

So if you're in the early years of your solo business, mark my words: treasure those contacts, and keep your data in as few spots as possible -- preferably one! The social networks we weave as soloists are crucial to our success, on multiple levels. And to stay connected, you need to have the contact details of those you want in your life.

-- Terri Lonier
Founder, WorkingSolo.com

P.S.: I'm working on some exciting research on how entrepreneurs think about and learn from experience. I'm particularly interested in the idea of "what you didn't know you didn't know" in the early stages of your business. If this resonates with you, and you've been in business for at least two years, I'd like to hear about your experience. Please send me an email to let me know if you'd be willing to share your thoughts. Thanks!