This really boils my blood!
Over the years I’ve got to hear from thousands of marketers and entrepreneurs, and the advice they’ve been given along their journeys.
Let me tell you, it isn’t pretty.
In fact, it’s downright dangerous.
I’ve even watched a few of them lose their businesses literally because they doggedly clung to some of the bum advice they received.
Look, I get it, building a business is hard…
And I don’t blame people looking for help & advice from the outside world, mentors, and even other entrepreneurs.
But there are a few “trap doors” I see time and time again, and worse yet, people are still listening to them!
There are actually four specific business-killers I come across all the time, and they also make up the WORST advice I’ve ever received.
That’s why I wanted to show you what they are, and why you need to avoid them (and anyone who tells them to you!).
Check it out…
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The 4 Most Dangerous Pieces of Advice In Business, Marketing & Entrepreneurship
There’s a picture I’ve loved for years now.
It shows a guy trying to peer over a wall, but he juuuust can’t reach.
However, he’s standing on a pile of ladders, and the second you see that you understand why he’s failing.
Advice is pretty similar, the wrong type can literally kill your business, whilst the right types are genuinely hard to come by (and for good reason).
There are four specific business-killing pieces of advice you HAVE to avoid.
Here they are:
Business Killer #1: Build It And They Will Come
If I had a buck for every business this gem has killed off…
This phrase alone has destroyed so many good businesses I’d be a little nervous to see the actual number.
In fact, I’ve even had family members truly believe this about their businesses.
Take a guess where they are now? (I’ll give you a hint, it includes a boss and a desk they don’t want to be at, and financial issues they want to run away from).
The phrase was popularized by the Kevin Costner 80’s movie ‘Field of Dreams’, and it’s unfortunately stuck around since.
I cannot stress this enough: Marketing is systematic and measurable, anything else is just hope.
Hope is the worst marketing strategy.
Your customers need to be guided to their next purchase; they simply won’t do it on their own.
If you don’t have a framework, system or strategy to do that then your marketing lives on hope.
I don’t want to have to tell you how that ultimately plays out…
Business Killer #2: Focus On Building The BEST Product
This is one that culls more entrepreneurs than anything else.
And I totally get it, building the best product makes sense, right?
There’s a small problem with that though…
Have you ever noticed something in your market, with someone specific or a company, and when you look at their stuff you think to yourself, “How on earth are THEY making money?”.
It happens ALL the time. Crappy service and poor products are everywhere!
Worse yet, a lot of them are making tons of cash too.
You see, the person with the best marketing wins, not the best product.
You’re not here to build products, you’re here to solve people’s problems.
“Better” doesn't always get attention, or win, “different” does.
That's where your marketing needs to shine.
This is a hard pill to swallow for most, but your customers buy marketing not products.
Think about how many awesome products there are out there but nobody knows about them because the creators simply don’t know how to sell?
Bingo.
“In the modern world of business, it is useless to be a creative, original thinker unless you can also sell what you create.” David Ogilvy
Business Killer #3: Follow Your Passion
The problem with this is that passion is only a piece of the puzzle, but most people take it at absolute face value and treat it as the entire jigsaw.
Don’t get me wrong, passion is crucial – In fact, its probably the biggest factor in what keeps the entrepreneurs who make it irrationally stuck to their mission when most “normal” people would give up.
But…
It shouldn’t be the be all and end all (there are two other ingredients that factor in here).
And that’s the real secret.
Your success comes more from an intersection of what you’re good at, what you enjoy, and where you can create value for the world.
Read that again, because its a game changer.
Your work is going to take up a large part of your life, and in my experience the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you feel is great work. To do that you need those three ingredients – what you’re good at, what you enjoy, and creating value.
Business Killer #4: Mindset Isn’t Important
Your mental strength defines you.
What you’re capable of, the things you go on to achieve, and the dreams you either reach or watch die.
Everything comes down to your mindset.
Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.
Tony Robbins once famously said, “Success is 80% mindset and 20% mechanics”.
And for someone who earns a fat chunk of the multi-billion-dollar mindset market, I think he knows what he’s talking about.
Your reactions to the uncontrollable parts of your life are a snapshot of your current mental strength.
Think about it like this:
Giving up is the ONLY way you fail.
And guess what fuels that decision?
Yup, you guessed it, your inability to keep on keeping on, and that’s directly centered in your mindset.
Your mindset is literally the reason for your success or failure.
How To Avoid The Business-Destroying Advice You Will 100% Receive On Your Journey
Good advice is clearly hard to come by.
But bad advice? Well, that’s a lot more common, and a lot more dangerous.
It all starts with who you choose to listen to:
- Never take advice from people who haven’t been where you are going
- Always choose the right mentor
- You are the culmination of the five people you spend the most time with – are you spending it wisely?
The best way to protect yourself from bum advice is to spend time with people you can trust, learn and grow from.
Drown out the rest of the noise.
Until then, here’s to good advice.
Steve De La Cour
Founder & CEO
Kong
PS: The best advice you'll find is from someone who's invested in you and your business, someone who cares about whether or not you'll succeed. That's why you need a mentor. Here's how you can find the best mentor for you:
