When I was 25 years old I received the worst advice of my life. This advice came from one my closest mentors, this mentor was approx fifteen years older than me and had met significant business success, so I listened and took his advice to heart.
The BAD Advice WAS — “People Don’t Take You Serious Until You are 30 Years Old”.
The BETTER Advice would have been — “People Take You Serious When You Take Yourself Serious”.
When I received this bad advice at the impressionable age of 25, I took it as gospel — as it came from one of my dearest mentors. And over the course of the next 5 years I figured hell — just keep working and “paying my dues” — and eventually an older person (someone in “authority” will give me a great opportunity in a job or venture funding to start something new).
It should be noted that I began purchasing residential investment property at 26 years old, two years before the ‘bubble’ {that’s another blog post…}. But I am left to wonder how my experience would have been different given better advice as I was beginning to get my feet wet in business. Maybe I would have approached lenders with more authority + negotiated better terms, or been more bullish in my strategy — the truth is that I just kind of coasted along without much friction in my business transactions. What would have happened if I were an empowered 25-year-old investor?
Regarding BETTER advice — just look around for perspective. Young people are doing amazing things — matter of fact — they ARE changing the world! I see it in real-time, whether it is in Silicon Valley on Sand Hill Road, College Classrooms in Durham, or in Gymnasiums in Philadelphia — our young talent are equipped with the tools, creativity, and innovative entrepreneurial mind to IMPROVE the world.
If you are faced with someone offering you shitty advice, ask them to tell you how old Zuckerburg was when he created the Facebook that they login 15 times a day, or the age of Morgan DeBaun, the Founder of Blavity.
In closing I am asking the older generation to not let your personal experiences and limitations mire the advice you give the younger generations. And I am asking the younger generations to question the intentions and push the boundaries of those placing limtations on you.
Be Taken Seriously as a Young Business Leader — Some Tips from Entrepenuer Magazine. — We all need coaching.
Full disclaimer this advisor did go on to offer some good advice along the way — however this particular piece of advice, was shitty advice.
-Talib