Why most advice won't fit you
You're drowning in advice, aren't you? Books, podcasts, mentors, articles... everyone has tips.
A lot of it is probably "median advice."
Good, solid guidance meant for the average situation. The middle of the road. The safe path.
But here's the catch: You are not average.
Your startup isn't average. Your challenges aren't average. Your market opportunity probably isn't sitting comfortably in the middle, either.
Founders live on the edges. We operate in uncertainty. We're trying to build something new, something different. Maybe even something that defies the current average.
Median advice is designed to smooth out the bumps. To keep things predictable.
But the bumps are where the learning happens. The unpredictability is where the opportunity often lies.
Following advice meant for the middle? It leads to middle-of-the-road results. It encourages you to build a company that fits in, rather than one that stands out. It's like trying to paint a masterpiece using only beige.
It might feel safer, but playing it safe rarely changes the world or builds something truly remarkable.
So, what do you do? Ignore everything? No.
You become a better filter.
You start asking: Is this advice relevant to my specific context? Does it understand my unique challenges? My specific customers? My particular goals? (Which might not be the 'median' goal everyone assumes).
Seek out context, not just content. Find mentors who understand your specific game, not just the general rules. Look at data from your experiments, not just industry benchmarks. Talk to founders who are navigating similar, non-average paths. Think from first principles. What's true for you, right now?
Median advice isn't necessarily bad. It's just often irrelevant to the outlier journey you're on.
Don't let average thinking dictate your extraordinary potential. Question the defaults. Trust your context.
Your best path probably isn't the most crowded one. Build based on your reality, not someone else's average.