When you’re just starting out in business, any advice can seem like a golden nugget. As a beginner, you can learn from reading online, watching videos, and listening to speakers at events. At first, even a little advice can go a long way. Initially, something is indeed better than nothing as you build your foundational knowledge.

But as you get more experience, you need to be careful about the advice you follow. At this stage, advice must be tailor-made—specifically suited to your unique business context and timely enough to be relevant. Here’s some advice that’s helped me determine who is worth my time…

1. Listen to people who have helped many other people like you achieve what you want to achieve.

These folks have an advantage. They’re not just talking about their own life stories. Instead, they’ve seen many winning and losing moves in many contexts, and they have many more data points to draw from. Still, watch what they do (not just what they say). Always look for actions that back up their words. If they aren’t walking the talk, then be wary.

2. Listen to people who have achieved what you want to achieve.

If they have the kind of business or live the life you want to have, listen carefully. They’ve succeeded in a situation similar to yours — with the same kind of business and under similar circumstances. . However, they are a sample of one. Their advice might be based only on their own experiences, and they might think they played a bigger role in their success than they actually did. So, while their insights are valuable, take them as part of a bigger picture.

3. People who have helped one person like you achieve what you want to achieve.

These might be brilliant people with great futures ahead of them, but for now they are one-hit wonders. Even a broken clock is right twice a day. So, before you take their advice to heart, wait until they’ve consistently shown that they can deliver results. Look for solid proof of their success with others over time to ensure they really know what they’re talking about.

4. People with good intentions who have yet to achieve what you want to achieve are best ignored.

This is where most advice comes from. Your spouse, family, friends, less successful colleagues, or even your patients (!) Again, toss it.

Conclusion

Start by learning from various sources, as every bit of knowledge builds your foundation. As your business evolves, refine your advisors to those who have shown consistent success and relevance. Always verify the actions behind their words and seek advice tailored to your unique situation. The best advice is not only sound but also proven effective and comes from those who genuinely understand your challenges.

A single mistake could crash your business. The advice, in this case, can’t be one-size-fits-all. It’s got to be the right advice for you, in your context, and at the right time. If you get the right advice at the wrong time or context, it will be the wrong advice.