any advice or tips for a potential hot keeper

I say when instead of if because while I don't plan on getting bit, there's still the possibility. Believe me , I would love to not get bit & I'm gonna try my hardest not to. I personally feel that when somebody says if instead of when, their over confident & get careless.

Matt,
Carelesness has little to do with confidence, but rather complacency. I am quite confident when I work with every animal in my collection however I never lose sight of what the animal is capable of.
By establishing safe husbandry protocols from the very beginning and not deviating you will be well on your way to keeping both you and your animals safe during required interactions.
I would suggest becoming proficient with the proper use of hooks, shift boxes, tubes, as well as approaching the enclosure opening from a safe angle each time you must open it.
Proper use of these husbadry tools can be practiced with non venomous animals, and I encourage you to give it a try, but please don't delude yourself into the mentality that this "practice" will fully prepare you for your fist interaction with an animal that has the ability to cause great bodily harm. In short, their is no shortcut, no amount of practice with non venomous of any species that will take the place of common sense and a continued realization that you now must devote total and complete concentration when working with your new venomous acquistion.
From your posts you have shown that you are interested in learning as well as listening which speaks volumes for your desire to work with venomous. Continue to seek advice from more experienced hobbyists and never feel embarrased to ask a question.
Lastly, I would add that virtually every long term venomous hobbyist that I know who has received a bite, did so under circumstances that were within their control. Each one can recall precisely what THEY did wrong which resulted in their unfortunate accident and each came away from the incident regretting their momentary lapse of judgement.
Remember that getting bitten is a result of your actions and is not an inevitable outcome of keeping these magnificent creatures.
Once again, I wish you the best and encourage you to continue to take it slow and steady.
Please take a moment to visit the link in my signature. We are a dedicated group of enthusiasts and much of the information you seek can be found within those pages. In addition, you will have ready access to answers from everyone from private hobbyists to curators from accredited institutions.

I checked out the link & was amazed by all the info. I do have one question, is a shift box the container you put the snake in while your cleaning its cage & what not. Thanks for the info.

A shiftbox (also known as a trapbox) is simply a hide within the enclosure that is able to be secured and locked when access to the enclosure becomes necessary.
You'll find that if you keep the box in the enclosure full time the animal will typically use it as a place of shelter which makes it quite easy to simply use your hook to slide the door on the box closed, essentially rendering the enclosure safe once the door has been secured.
These boxes can be adapted for both terrestrial and arboreal species and are an excellent tool in the venomous keepers arsenal.

Ok ill add that to my list. That would be a lot easier & safer than transfering the snake from cage to cage.

Could somebody show me what a shiftbox looks like or give me a link to a site that sells them. I tried googleing it & got nothing.

Here is an example. It need not be this elaborate however it does need to be secure and preferrably, lockable to avoid an unexpected escape should it be bumped.
http://boamaster.com/catalog/Trap_Box-17-1.html

Hope this gives you a little better idea of what it is.

I thought you may enjoy this photo since you may be contemplating Copperheads and small Rattlesnakes.
Looks as though the Fall breeding took so will hopefully have plenty of mouths to feed this Spring LOL!
2005 CBB Hyde Co. Pigmy Rattlesnake

WOW!!! I think I'm in love lol. I can't wait to get one, but I have to build the cage & get the supplies before I even think about getting one.

LOL! They are pretty little buggers aren't they?

Good man, taking the time to get everything just right before purchasing.
As far as caging I would highly recommend Neodesha Plastics. They are lightweight, double screened vent/s, lockable, and very secure. The price is quite attractive as well and are typically cost comparative to buying the necessary supplies to build your own.