Howard Lindzon is up next speaking on by it's always a good time to start a web business. Howard runs a hedge fund. The headlines we're seeing today aren't good. Leaders need to look beyond the headlines. The goal: zig when other's zag (with hat tip to Warren Buffet's "the time to be fearful..." The best time to start a "premium" business or one base don ad revenue was the last four years.

Now we need to focus on being "too small to fail." Get your idea and product ready and the first customer under your belt as soon as possible. Over the next 6 months, VCs are going to wake up and set up parts of their funds to address these kinds of businesses.

It's never a good time to start any business. Good businesses can be started at anytime. 80-90% of small businesses fail--all the time.

Businesses fail for lots of reasons: taking too much money, having the wrong partners, having an idea that isn't well tested or well thought through. Focus on getting the right product and the right customers. Fish where the fish are. Everyone wants to be the shark (Google), but better to find what you do and do it really well. Don't try to be everything all the time.

The discussion of leverage comes up. Social leverage is good. Financial leverage is bad. You can't have too many friends. Eric asks Howard to talk about StockTwits, a site for twittering about stocks.

Be an expert at something.