As a child, entrepreneurship can be as simple as a lemonade stand on a neighborhood corner, but as an adult, starting your own business involves taking risks, commitment, coordinating every detail, and determination to succeed. Here are five tips from successful women on what an aspiring entrepreneur should be prepared for when starting her own business.

More on Shine: Tricks of the trade: 7 tips on starting your own business

Know what you're in for - Milk and Honey Shoes co-owner Ilissa Howard advises any entrepreneur to think, plan, and research. Starting her business was an "emotional rollercoaster," she says.

Dive in - "You have to be willing to just dive in head first, no safety net, run a thousand miles an hour, having no idea if there's more road ahead for you," explains Dori Howard, co-owner of Milk and Honey Shoes. She says if being an entrepreneur were easy, everyone would do it, so keep the risks in mind.

Think it through - Alexa von Tobel, Learnvest founder and CEO, advise

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All year, Cosmo has teamed with Lean In, founded by Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg, to help you build a brilliant career. So WWSSD to get a better salary? We tell you exactly what to say.

By Susan Schulz

So you just got an offer for a job that you really, really want. Or you're hitting your stride at a company you love. Your first thought may be, I'm lucky to get this opportunity. I don't want to rock the boat by asking for too much money. But don't make that mistake. Now is exactly the time to get strategic and ask for the salary you deserve. Not negotiating early in your career for even a few thousand dollars more can set you up to be making hundreds of thousands less over the course of 30 years, warns Margaret Neale, professor of management at the Stanford Graduate School of Business and a career-education expert at LeanIn.org. Follow Neale's five-step plan to getting paid what you're worth.

1. PSYCH YOURSELF UP

Nervous that asking for more will make you look lik

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When you don't quite know your way around the office-or heck, even if you do-it's good to know people in high places.

But by "high places," I don't necessarily mean the executive suite. While buddying up with the CEO probably wouldn't hurt, there are a few other well-known office archetypes who can really help you out.

So, when you're kicking off a new job, seek out these seven officemates-stat.

1. The Human Snack Machine

You know the feeling: It's 3 PM, you're starting to get the "maybe that rice cake wasn't enough for lunch" shakes (or the "a client just yelled at me for 20 minutes straight" need for stress-relieving indulgence), and you're a quarter short for anything in the snack machine.

This is precisely when it pays to know that guy in the marketing department who keeps a drawer full of candy-and is willing to share in exchange for a few minutes of office chit-chat. (Just make sure to occasionally offer treats in return or contribute to the snack fund!)

2. The Socialite

If yo

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You've finally decided to quit your job-congratulations!

Maybe you landed a great new gig and you're moving on to greener pastures. Or, maybe you hate your boss and-let's be honest-can't wait to stick it to him with your two weeks' notice.

But whatever the situation, quitting your job can be awkward and uncomfortable-and if you don't have a clear plan of action, you might end up burning bridges and sacrificing valuable references down the road.

So whatever's pushing you out the door, exit the right way: with grace, class, and preparedness. If you're not sure how to make the big announcement or navigate your last two weeks, don't worry-I've created an easy three-step plan to guide you through it.

Step #1: The Set-Up

First, set a firm date for your last day of work. Make sure to give yourself enough time to tie up any loose ends and train your replacement, if necessary. In most states, you're not required to give two full weeks' notice-but as a professional courtesy to your co-workers

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Life hasn't been the same for true crime author Ann Rule since her book about serial killer Ted Bundy, "The Stranger Beside Me," was published. She says her editor told her, "Now, Ann, if you could just befriend another serial killer and write a book about it." But Ann certainly didn't want to repeat that route.

More on Shine: Using your words: 7 tips for writing a memoir

Ann says she spent every summer in jail as a child. Her grandpa was a sheriff in Montcalm County, Michigan, so Ann wanted to grow up to be a police officer. But after failing the police eye exam, she began writing short crime stories. She got her first book contract in 1975 to write about a series of unsolved killings.

"Mysterious Ted was abducting and killing young women in the Northwest," says Ann. "Nobody knew who it was." Later, Ted Bundy was arrested in Florida, and he called Ann. It turns out she had known the killer she was writing about. Ann had volunteered at a crisis clinic in Seattle, and the college stude

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