Nassim Taleb is author of books such as Anti-Fragile, Fooled by Randomness and Black Swan.

He is a quasi-philosopher with general life advice that can be applied by entrepreneurs to build successful businesses.

1. Stick to simple rules (don’t lie to customers, don’t break the law).
2. Build in multiple layers, no single point of failure (ie: backup staff for key employees).
3. Don’t suppress randomness (allow for a bit of chaos and dissent).
4. Have your soul in the game.
5. Take lots of small risks.
6. Don’t take risks that can wipe you out.
7. Don’t get lost in the details.
8. Keep your options open.
9. Avoid the things that don’t work rather than try to find out what does work.
10. Stick to habits and rules that have been around a long time.