1: I was lucky to start playing Torn at a time when one of the biggest traders in Torn got interviewed, and a result of that was a newspaper article in the Torn City Times.
This article gave me the fundamentals in trading, and I have been growing ever since.
2: To be honest there isn't much I would have done differently. However I learned early on that putting too many things in my bazaar at once would increase my chances of being mugged. I confronted my first mugger, who turned out to be a cool guy. He taught me some tips and tricks around mug protection. That isn't too relevant for me quite yet, so for now I am keeping a limit to the amount of items I put in my bazaar :)
3: Read the book "The Slight Edge" by Jeff Olson. It has taught me that even the little things you do every day can amount to something big if you keep doing it every single day.
Along with this, get your nose into the guides section in the forums. Read as many guides as you can, because they really are helpful to a beginner who is eager to learn.
Start building your network here on Torn. Talk to people, make friends and connections. In time that network will grow and it could prove very beneficial later on in the game, I'm not there yet myself but I will get there!
Finally, be patient, be persistent, and don't give up!
At your early stage in the game you should focus on Bank Investment. It is easily the best return on your investment until you get up to 2 Billion. Do 1 week at a time early on, then 2 weeks until you get to 2 B. Those 2 B will generate a passive income of around 120m a month. At that point you could start investing in the stock market to get the different benefits.
Start by focusing on making money doing crimes, or travelling to buy cheap goods overseas to sell at a profit in Town.
That being said, the best ROI stock which is the first block you can afford is The Torn City Times with a ROI of around 3%. It gives you 1m a month. With the initial buy-in of 33m for that stock block, you're better off doing bank investments at that stage.
Made a deal with Freakee`s business associate Shannara. The transaction was quick and the price was more than fair. Excellent traders! Definitely recommend :)