What's the best source of customers? Is it Facebook? Twitter? Old fashioned television commercials? Networking at industry events? Each of these avenues offers a number of advice columns, even whole books, instructing you on how to maximize their value, but which if your best source to begin with? The answer may surprise you, as its none of the above. In fact, the best - and most overlook - source of...

The poster above may be a relic of World War II, but the notion of keeping secrets to preserve the advantage dates from much further back. The ancient "Art of War" by Sun Tzu includes the advice "[c]onceal your dispositions, and your condition will remain secret, which leads to victory." More recently, the passage of the Patriot Act has shown the importance that global leaders place on protecting their own...