Starting a Business, Know what NOT to Do.

The fact of the matter is, you can take in all the advice in the world from the most respected sources, but if it doesn’t feel right to you, you have to trust vision and conviction enough to go your own way.

We asked 25 entrepreneurs about the worst advice they ever got, and what they learned from it.  

Name: Alexis Maybank
Company: Project September 
Bad advice: Right as I was coming out of college and was going to work in a predominantly male environment as the only female, people would try to be kind, but would tell me that I must dress and act a certain way in order to fit in. I felt so uncomfortable and so not like me. A few years later I broke away from that and realized you are your own brand. And the more comfortable you are, the more confident and memorable you’ll be. You’ll be the most effective if you achieve your own personal style.

Name: Tim Chen
Company: Nerdwallet 
Bad advice: I’m Asian. My parents told me to keep my head down, work hard and show my value through work rather than through my mouth. I think that might work well in some industries, but even in those cases, there is a benefit of speaking up and communicating.

Name: David Bladow
Company:BloomThat
Advice: When I started Bloomthat, a lot of people told me it wasn’t going to work. I think it was well intentioned, but I’m glad I ignored it. Take that kind of advice with a grain of salt and keep pushing.

Name: Jen Rubio
Company: Away 
Bad advice: When people tell me to sleep on it, it never turns out well. I just end up questioning myself and not having any real conviction in my decision.

I’ve really learned how to read my instincts. Now that there is an entire company, I will look for the right data to validate my instincts. Sometimes my instincts are wrong, but now I know the right questions to ask to get there, instead of wasting away without trying to find more information.

Click Read More for 20 more pieces of not-so-great advice.