Biggest mistake I see young people making is jumping around from job to job. Looks horrible on the resume and you aren't sticking around long enough to really figure things out. Second biggest mistake is 24 year olds that think they are smarter than guys that have been in business for 20+ years. Maybe those people know something and you might learn a thing or two if you pay attention.

When I meet a founder / CEO for the first time my top objective is to leave that meeting as the preferred buyer of the business. Sure I want to learn about the company and figure out how interested I am but that is secondary. I like to start by asking them to tell me the story of their business before we get to the power point. What made you decide to start the company? How did you get it off the ground? Founders hate the power point that their banker made them put together. This gets the meeting off to a great start. Don't bother to try to figure out how involved the Founder is. Simply assume the answer is very. They didn't get their business to where it is by being passive no matter what they say. You should also assume that whatever they say to you about staying involved once the wire is in their account they will be on their boat either physically or mentally....