The worst advice you can get

On my podcast, I ask guests:

“Whats the worst advice you’ve ever gotten on your startup?”

And In an interview with Florian Mayer, he said the following:

“The worst advice is from someone who hasn’t been where you’re at right now”.

And if you think about it, this applies to everything in life:

1/ People who haven’t been in leadership positions advising you how to lead.

2/ People who haven’t been in a certain relationship advising you on how to manage yours.

3/ People who never had the opportunity you’re looking at, advising you what to do instead (I’m looking at you, mom!)

They come with the best intention, but the advice is often incorrect. Because people who haven’t spent a minute doing what you’re doing, can’t really give you solid advice.

There are some exceptions to that:

→ My life partner gives me pretty solid business advice after five years of hearing about it day after day.

→ My friends can give me some advice on the 53rd startup idea I’ve presented to them, even if they haven’t created a startup before.

More importantly, having an exceptionally strong immune system toward criticism and disapproval is a liberating, powerful advantage as an entrepreneur. It is like having competitors heavily taxed while you are exempt.

So the next time that mentor you’ve just met, the random co-founder or the person in your accelerator tells you something that goes against your intuition?

Take their advice with a grain of salt.

You’ve already taken yourselves so far.

Trust your instincts.