We all do our best to seek out good advice from our friends, families, business partners, and peers. No matter the situation, you know you can count on the support of your close circle. But not every piece of advice is that great and you probably shouldn’t take to-heart every bit of guidance you hear.
As a young entrepreneur, plenty of people will want to give you their two cents on what you should do or not do. Maybe they have extensive years of experience or they seem to be connected with everyone in the ‘right’ network. Whatever the case may be, take advice and apply it to your life as you see best fit (not them). At the end of the day, it’s your life, not theirs, so make sure that you do what’s best for you and what makes sense for your business goals.
With that said, here is some of the worst advice I’ve heard passed along to young entrepreneurs. Steer clear of people who tell you that these words of advice are the end-all-be-all, because believe me, this advice can drag you down not boost you up.
“You don’t have time for friends, take every relationship as a business opportunity and don’t let your emotions get involved.”
Contrary to what this person thought, everyone has time for friends. In fact, successful entrepreneurs know how to balance their work and personal life in a harmonious way (although it’s not always easy). If you completely neglect to take care of your relationships, you will end up being lonely and isolated … not to mention, your ‘so-called’ friends will probably not like you too much.
“Don’t change your business plan, it should stay the same from day one.”
Well clearly this person has either brilliant business models that are fail-safe or they’ve never run a start up. Whatever the case may be, you should always be open to improve, change and/or tweaking aspects of your business as time goes on.
“Your idea should be groundbreaking and totally new.”
It’s not about who does something first. It’s about who does it right. Don’t feel like you need to reinvent the wheel, just innovate until you create a smoother running business model in comparison to your competitor.
Getting advice is really important. Just make sure you keep a positive attitude, cherry pick the best things you hear, and don’t be afraid to ignore the parts that clearly won’t work for you.
What’s the worst advice you’ve ever received? Tweet @StarterNoise.
Derek Rundell, is a successful business leader, operator, and serial entrepreneur. Derek has founded, managed and sold businesses in the technology, media and finance industries. He sits on several boards and serves as an advisor/investor to numerous established businesses and startups. Startups are Derek’s real passion, and in addition to building his own portfolio of technology, media and financial ventures, he invests in and mentors startups and entrepreneurs. He is passionate about sharing his knowledge and helping other businesses succeed.