THREAD: Most advice is garbage

Here's some advice you shouldn’t listen to on startups, careers and life:

“90% of startups fail”

If you’re building a startup for the money, please quit

You’re probably better off working for FB or AMZN and rising the ranks

A successful startup isn't just about the valuation. It's about impact on your team, the world and yourself

The journey is 🔥
“You'll sleep when you’re dead”

If you don't sleep, you'll BE dead

Sleep is crucial to a happy mind and body

Without sleep, you become "foggy drunk", unable to take control of your life, startup or career

Beware of hustle culture and sleepless nights
“Become a doctor, lawyer etc”

This is probably some of the most undercover toxic advice parents can give to their children

The internet has opened the doors for anyone to become anything

Discover WHO you want to become before you decide on WHAT you want to become
“Don’t talk to strangers”

- You can't make lifelong friends if you don't talk to strangers
- You can't really discover who you are if you don't talk to strangers
- You can't get the benefits of the internet without talking to strangers

BE CAREFUL, but please talk to strangers
“Money is the root of all evil”

When you grow up poor, money is far from evil

Money is gifts under the Christmas tree, it's healthcare for the family and it's freedom

Use money for impact, not evil
"Don't burn bridges"

Some bridges are worth burning. Life's too short for toxic vibes

Toxicity stands between you and what you want

Burn toxic bridges
“You NEED to find a technical co-founder”

Hundreds of startups die give up everyday. The culprit? No technical co-founder

A technical co-founder won't solve your problems. Be creative, use Upwork to keep momentum, do what you can to make top technical talent flock to you
"Go to college"

Oh, you mean carry a crazy amount of debt for years so I can spend half of my income every month to repay it?

With so many incredible courses online, podcasts and YouTube videos, the internet is a pretty good professor 😝

College isn't for everyone
Follow me on Twitter for more THREADS on startups and internet communities

More from GREG ISENBERG

More from Startup

You May Also Like

I'm going to do two history threads on Ethiopia, one on its ancient history, one on its modern story (1800 to today). 🇪🇹

I'll begin with the ancient history ... and it goes way back. Because modern humans - and before that, the ancestors of humans - almost certainly originated in Ethiopia. 🇪🇹 (sub-thread):


The first likely historical reference to Ethiopia is ancient Egyptian records of trade expeditions to the "Land of Punt" in search of gold, ebony, ivory, incense, and wild animals, starting in c 2500 BC 🇪🇹


Ethiopians themselves believe that the Queen of Sheba, who visited Israel's King Solomon in the Bible (c 950 BC), came from Ethiopia (not Yemen, as others believe). Here she is meeting Solomon in a stain-glassed window in Addis Ababa's Holy Trinity Church. 🇪🇹


References to the Queen of Sheba are everywhere in Ethiopia. The national airline's frequent flier miles are even called "ShebaMiles". 🇪🇹