Book excerpt: Think Red Flags is a book that offers a simple but new proactive approach to achieve a profitable small business.Owning your own business is one of the great opportunities that we enjoy in the United States. To develop a winning business strategy for your current or startup business you should start with the right mindset to achieve your goal. Why?The Small Business Administration (SBA) released a good news, bad news report you should know about. The bad news is 20% of new businesses fail within the first two years and 45% fail within the first five years. These business statistics should not make you afraid to forge ahead, but instead, to do so with the understanding that success is intentional, it doesn't just happen. The good news is 55% of successful new businesses are achieved within the first five-year period. Knowing this, you might ask yourself, "How can I increase the odds to my favor and join the 55% winning group?" Think Red Flags was written to help you get there. Whether you are starting a company or currently operating one, learning to Think Red Flags will help you develop the mindset to ultimately: . Analyze and validate your business plan. . Manage complex projects without costly errors. . Establish a safety net. . Create a low error rate business performance. . Increase longevity and profit.How can an entrepreneur learn to anticipate potential problems and avoid them before they happen? In Think Red Flags I wrote about the 3 ways people learn; Reading/Education, Personal Experience, and Other People's Experience. Reading and Other People's Experience are the most effective approach to executing your business idea. Personal Experience is also important, but, if you have to experience everything to gain knowledge, you will likely be very senior before you have the wisdom to succeed.Think Red Flags has only one purpose, to provide you with a way of thinking that will become your greatest business asset. Once you learn the process, you can apply it to both your business and personal life. Happy Red Flagging!