In the startup world, there is a lot of advice for founders, but most of it comes from those who have never started a startup. If you’ve never started a startup and gone in full-time, chances are you can’t relate to the experience of being a founder. While the media depicts a rosy picture of startups and entrepreneurship, the reality is quite the opposite. Founders literally go through hell to build new ventures and create opportunities. As they say, the odds are against you when you start something new, but with conviction and persistence, you can succeed.
Have you ever been at a startup event? It’s mostly full of advice for founders. Almost everyone thinks they qualified to give startup advice, but they are not. As a founder you have be extremely selective as to which advice do you take. This can play a huge role in the direction of your startup and where it might end up. Whether is a pivot to a new direction or monetizing your platform a great startup advice can completely change the game. The best source of advice comes those who have been in the trenches. This quote from Brené Brown sums it up well.
“If you aren’t in the arena also getting your ass kicked, I’m not interested in your feedback.” – Brené Brown
This hilarious startup meme flow chart demonstrated by Valerie Coffman shows beautifully what it takes to give a startup advice. In short who does qualified to give startup advice? It’s either you’ve been a full time founder before or you have been an early-stage startup team member. This is because they know what’s it like out there! They can relate to your struggles and challenges better than anyone else out there.
Next time you are considering someone else’s advice for your startup, consider whether they have done anything startup related or not. It will immensely help filter the advice. One you have great advice for your startup, it’s not done, you have to execute on it. It’s only through execution and iteration that founders can win big time.
