Business Advice That Makes Me Roll My Eyes
It’s practically involuntary. As entrepreneurs, we are often on the receiving end of business advice. At times it can be so insightful, helpful, life changing even. But sometimes, let’s be honest, it’s unsolicited, unsustainable, short sighted, and lacking balance.
Here are a few pieces of "wisdom" that I feel deserve to be taken with a huge grain of salt:
As you read through these, pay attention to how your body responds to them. I know for myself, many of these will prompt jaw tension and even a bit of a yellow light reflex. Paying attention to your body's cues can be incredibly data-rich - you may find that it provides helpful insight into your own patterns, or signals that something feels misaligned or not for you.
"Follow Your Passion and the Money Will Follow"
I love that people want to build businesses around what they care about - that's inspiring and so important. But passion alone doesn't create sustainable income. I've worked with incredibly passionate business owners who struggled financially because they never learned how to price appropriately or understand their market.
A more balanced approach: Follow your passion AND develop business skills. Love what you do AND learn how to make it financially sustainable. You can be passionate about your work while also being strategic about how you run your business.
"Fake It Till You Make It"
This advice can lead to financial overextension, taking on projects you're not ready for, and creating unsustainable business practices. Plus, authenticity is actually more appealing to most clients than false confidence.
A more balanced approach: Be honest about where you are while confidently delivering what you do offer. "I'm growing my business and I'm really good at X" is much stronger than pretending to be something you're not.
"Just Get More Clients to Fix Cash Flow"
More clients don't automatically solve financial problems. If your pricing or business model is the issue, adding volume might actually make things worse. I've seen businesses get busier while becoming less profitable.
A more balanced approach: Look at your pricing, payment terms, and business model first. Sometimes the solution is fewer clients who pay better rates, not more clients at rates that don't work. Sometimes the solution has nothing to do with clients at all.
"You Need to be Available 24/7 for Your Business"
The always-on mentality isn't sustainable and often doesn't even serve your clients better. Boundaries actually help you show up more effectively when you are working. I see the financial consequences of hustle culture regularly - business owners who are so burned out they make poor decisions, or whose businesses actually suffer because they're too tired to think clearly.
A more balanced approach: Set clear business hours and communication expectations. Your clients will respect boundaries if you set them consistently, and you'll do better work when you're not exhausted. Your business should support your life, not consume it entirely.
"Scale at All Costs"
Not every business needs (or wants) to scale rapidly, and growth for the sake of growth isn't always the right strategy. Sometimes staying smaller and more focused is the smarter financial move, and aligns better with your values.
A more balanced approach: Grow intentionally. Make sure your business model can handle growth before pursuing it, and consider whether scaling aligns with your actual goals and values.
"Don't Worry About Money, Just Focus on Helping People"
This advice is especially common in service industries, but you can't help people long-term if your business isn't financially sustainable. Taking care of yourself and your business finances is taking care of your clients.
A more balanced approach: Financial sustainability and helping people aren't mutually exclusive. Building a profitable business ensures you can keep serving clients for years to come.
What I'd Rather See
Instead of these oversimplified approaches, I'd love to see more advice that:
Balances passion with practical business skills
Promotes sustainable work practices
Acknowledges that different strategies work for different businesses
Treats financial management as essential, not optional
Recognizes that building a business is complex and nuanced
Most of this problematic advice comes with good intentions, but entrepreneurship is complex enough without unrealistic expectations making it harder. You can build a successful business while also taking care of yourself, being honest about your journey, and making financially sound decisions.
Trust your instincts, seek out balanced guidance, and remember that sustainable success usually looks different than the highlight reel suggests.
