Have you ever seen those crazy people who feel the need to do the opposite of what is suggested? For example, you go to Yellowstone National Park and see someone standing right next to the bison. In fact, some of them even put their children up on the bison so they can take pictures. Seriously? How incredibly stupid can a person get? Oh, and we better not forget those clever fools who stray away from the well beaten path and past the sign that says do not leave the trail. Do people really think that someone put the sign there just for fun, that some park ranger got board and decided to go around placing signs for the fun of it all.

There are certain trails that should not be abandoned, certain wild things that should not be approached, and there are lots of dangerous cliffs just waiting for someone to fall off of them. The point I’m trying to make is that just as you need to use caution when venturing out in unfamiliar places, you need to use caution when venturing out into unfamiliar business. The only way to know what ominous adventures are looming around the corner is to pay attention to the signs around you. For example…

Don’t Feed The Animals

Don’t give reasons for things to come out and bite you. This includes other businesses, coworkers, employees, whomever. Also, don’t do anything unethical or shady that’s going to come back and bite you in the future. There are signs all over the zoo saying don’t feed the animals. Still, people continue to think they are the exception to the rule. Trust me, you are not the exception.

Watch For Falling Rocks

Okay, this sign is a given but would you believe there are actually people who attempt to climb cliffs with falling rock warnings? Again, I suppose these people must think someone got board one day and decided to put up a random sign. No way! The truth is that someone must have gotten into some trouble on that cliff and so they put up a sign warning others who come down the same path.

Big surprise, there are watch out for falling rock signs in business too and many people ignore those too. How do they ignore them? It’s very simple, they don’t do their research and then they get wiped out by the same “falling rocks” that took out businesses before them.

Dangerous Cliffs, Do Not Cross

Okay, yet another obvious one…seriously…who wants to fall off a cliff? Would you believe there are people who really do want to fall off cliffs and I don’t mean cliff jumping. There are people who actually go past signs on the path that say “WARNING Dangerous Cliffs Ahead”. By passing this sign you put yourself at risk of falling and losing your business.

So, how do you avoid such peril? The answer is simple, watch the signs, do your research and thus avoid the pitfalls that have taken down other businesses.