The thing that has surprised me most is how many people are open to helping you out if you ask. I have been so amazed throughout the years by the incredibly successful and busy people who have agreed to get coffee or hop on the phone to answer my questions simply because I asked (and didn't abuse their generosity with their time). It made me wish I would have been even more proactive about doing that earlier on in the business because now I have a wonderful group of informal advisers who have taught me so much.