get hesitant to put anything in writing or to accept an advanced deposit, you might know you re not dealing with someone that does business professionally. and then finally, protect your ip when working with someone else. absolutely. so a lot of times people are asked by people they ve never met to speak at a webinar or speak at an event. you ll be presenting your trade secrets or ip. protect your intellectual property. make sure you have copyright s on your tools. lose tools like go to meeting or join me to show them your desktop before you send them actual files. this will not stop particularly clever people but it will make it harder for them. also think about your reputation. if somebody is asking you to be a part of a, webinar or speak at something, you have to understand their organization and see if you want to be associated with them. for sure. it s all about protecting your brand. you want to align with brands that will elevate you, not bring