We asked some folks we admire to share one piece of conventional advice they disagree with.

Brittany Edwards | Author & Creative Technologist

“Don’t take no for an answer.” Sometimes, we really should. The art of listening to resistance is one of the most undervalued life skills. Rejection is redirection– it’s a simple phrase we usually let in one ear and quickly out the other because we’re preoccupied with mourning our roadblocks. It’s usually chalked up to well intended advice for cheering someone up. But it’s a fundamental lesson to embrace and master. Read more>>

Darrel Frater | Venture Capital Investor & 3x Startup Founder

Oftentimes, aspiring entrepreneurs are told that in order to start a business they have to take the “leap of faith” where they quit their job and go full-time on the business. I believe that this advice is often misleading and can be very detrimental to the success and livelihood of a founder if done prematurely. When it comes to BIPOC founders, often times these founders do not have access to the startup capital needed to get their businesses off the ground and quitting a job to pursue a new business can expose that founder to a lot of unnecessary risk. Read more>>

Lindye Galloway | Founder and Creative Director of Lindye Galloway Studio + Shop

“Always Say Yes” is a piece of advice I hear from so many entrepreneurs. It feels like the tempting answer when you’re starting from ground zero. But I decided to look at things differently and take an opposite approach with our business. I said no to more than I said yes to. If you say yes to everything, you won’t have time to focus on the things you deeply want to accomplish and could be defined by work you aren’t proud of because it didn’t fully align with you and your goals. Read more>>