The Worst Business Advice I Ever Received: “Go Get a Job”

When you start a business, pursue an entrepreneurial idea, or try to grow something that doesn't fit the traditional mold, everyone seems to have an opinion. Some advice can change the trajectory of your business. Other advice can create doubt, unnecessary complexity, wasted money, or convince you to give up before you've really started. In Episode 24 of Built By Doing, David Alan and Stan break down how entrepreneurs should approach business advice: who deserves your attention, when expert advice actually applies to your situation, and why blindly following advice from social media, friends, other entrepreneurs, or even professionals can be dangerous. David also looks back at the early years of building David Alan Clothing, when people told him the idea wouldn't work, that Pittsburgh wasn't a market for fashion, and that he should abandon the business and find a job. He shares how criticism became fuel, why entrepreneurship requires an unusual level of mental resilience, and how his approach to seeking advice has changed after more than a decade in business. The conversation also explores: • Why business advice is rarely one-size-fits-all • How to determine whether someone's advice actually applies to your business • Why 10-second social media business advice can be misleading • The difference between listening to advice and blindly following it • Why your company's size, industry and stage of growth matter • How entrepreneurs can turn criticism into useful information • Why some business decisions require patience before you know whether they're working • The danger of overcomplicating a young business • How David nearly gave away equity during the early years of David Alan Clothing • Why good advisors ask questions before giving answers • How building the right team changes the speed at which a company can grow The lesson isn't to ignore everyone. It's to listen, understand, filter, and then make the decision that's right for you. Built By Doing is a podcast about entrepreneurship, business growth, leadership, risk, failure, and the lessons you can only learn by actually doing the work. www.builtbydoingpodcast.com