[go here for Part 1]
this month i spoke at 2 conferences and enjoyed the usual flurry of followup conversations with curious listeners. i also met a handful of customers which was flattering.
except the process felt broken. shake hand, receive compliment, attempt to answer a question specific to their business. i’m happy to try, but only a couple responses came through. either i could outline how i handled a similar situation, or i could quote a book. that’s it.
after years of reading, writing, thinking, i’ve had maybe 3 original ideas. everything else is a remix. yet people keep asking for my advice instead of going to the source.
at both conferences this month i shared this concern directly. that i don’t really know, that they should study and experiment. but this answer isn’t good enough.
so let’s fuse some meta-advices into an unstable compound. then you’ll be cured of wanting more.
- “advice is what you ask for when you already know what to do.”
- “advice is just telling someone else how to be you.”
- ”never take advice from a salesman.”
- “it’s better to do things you cannot explain than explain things you cannot do.”
- “not everyone has what it takes. no amount of advice will fix that.”
- “there are no more good jobs where you’re told what to do.”
at one conference, 2 keynote speakers and the event organizers pitched paid mentorship programs. these ranged from hundreds to thousands per year. so going to industry events, meeting operators, demo-ing new technology is no longer a competitive edge. that is now a mere sideshow we must endure for the Real Juice – access.
but access to business mentors kinda loses the point. we want customers, not peers. i don’t need a Slack community of founders, i want a Discord community with thousands of paying customers (check).
it feels good to answer earnest questions by up and coming entrepreneurs. but i’m not sure it’s helpful. and lately it’s been perverted by profit.
four years later, today i say again: no more advice.