The Power of Humble Advice

I recently met with an advisor who did something incredibly rare but profoundly impactful—he repeatedly emphasized that his advice was just his perspective. He didn’t frame his insights as the right answer, the best strategy, or the only way forward. Instead, he acknowledged that his guidance was based on his own experiences and that it was ultimately up to us to decide whether it was useful or relevant.

That one statement—“This is just my take”—hit me hard. I’ve had so many conversations where advisors speak in absolutes, as if their experience defines the only way to build a company. But I’ve been in this ecosystem long enough to know that’s just not true. Every startup is different. Every founder is different. And no two paths to success are ever the same.

The Reality of Building With a Co-Founder

Cathy, my co-founder at Kaie, and I balance each other out well. I’ve been around the block a few times (both successfully, and not so much), while she’s just diving into the chaos of building as a first-time founder. That dynamic makes us a strong team—we see things from different angles. But I’ve also seen how easily first-time founders can get whiplash from advisor input. Some advisors speak with so much confidence that it sounds like gospel, and if you’re not careful, you might just follow it straight off a cliff.

Because, newsflash: advisors are not always right.

The Weight of Words: Why Founders Take Advice So Seriously

When you’re an early-stage founder, you don’t know what you don’t know. I remember that feeling. The startup world is a tornado of opinions, and you’re stuck in the middle, trying to make sense of investor feedback, industry trends, and everyone who suddenly has thoughts on your business.

That’s why advisors have so much influence. When someone who’s been in the trenches tells you, “You absolutely need to do X,” it’s easy to believe that X is the secret sauce.

The problem? It might not be.

Every founder has a different market, different customers, and different internal challenges. What worked for one company might be a dumpster fire for another. But if an advisor delivers their advice like a one-size-fits-all solution, founders might implement it blindly and regret it later.

The Best Advisors Know They Don’t Have All the Answers

This is why that recent advisor meeting stood out. He didn’t show up with a checklist of must-dos—he showed up with perspective. He shared his experience but made it crystal clear that his way wasn’t the way. That small shift in approach makes all the difference.

This is the kind of advisor I respect.

The best advisors don’t tell you what to do. They help you think through your options. They don’t give you a playbook; they act as a sounding board. They don’t force their experiences onto your startup; they share them as reference points.

Startups are wild. Every decision Cathy and I make sends ripples through everything else—product, hiring, fundraising, customer relationships. When an advisor treats their opinion as fact, it removes the nuance and forces founders into a box they may not belong in.

The best advisors know that their job isn’t to dictate—it’s to help founders navigate.

The Role of Advisors: Guidance, Not Governance

There’s a fine line between giving strong, confident advice and pretending you’ve got a crystal ball. Founders don’t need vague, wishy-washy feedback, but we also don’t need someone standing over us like a GPS with only one route to success.

A good advisor:

• Listens first before launching into their greatest hits album of advice

• Frames their advice as perspective, not fact

• Encourages founders to think through multiple solutions

• Trusts that the founder knows their business better than anyone

• Understands that startup success isn’t plug-and-play

Bad advisors do the opposite. They dictate, they assume, and they bulldoze nuance. They act like the only way to succeed is to follow their specific path, and if you dare to do things differently, you must be out of your mind.

This is especially harmful for first-time founders who might not yet have the confidence to push back or filter advice effectively.

Advice is a Tool, Not a Rule

I’ve become incredibly selective about how I treat advice. Founders need guidance, but we also need space to make decisions that fit our company, not just someone else’s playbook.

Over time, I’ve learned to filter advice like a human B.S. detector. Not everything applies. Some guidance is gold. Some is noise. And some is downright dangerous if applied to the wrong business.

That’s why advisors should always lead with: “This is just my take.”

It’s perspective. It’s experience. It’s insight. But it’s not a universal blueprint.

Founders: Choose Your Advisors Wisely

If you’re a founder, be ruthless about who you let influence your decisions. The best advisors aren’t the ones with the loudest voices or the biggest exits.

The best advisors respect your journey.

Look for the ones who:

• Ask smart questions before jumping in with solutions

• Share what worked for them but acknowledge that your business is different

• Help you think through your decisions, rather than telling you what to do

• Are confident in their expertise but humble enough to know they’re not infallible

These are the advisors who have helped me grow the most.

Advisors: Your Words Carry Weight—Use Them Responsibly

And if you’re an advisor, be mindful of how you deliver guidance. Your words have real impact. If you speak in absolutes, founders might take it as law. If you acknowledge your perspective as one of many, you empower them to make thoughtful decisions.

The difference between good and bad advice isn’t just the content—it’s how it’s framed.

The best advisors know that their role isn’t to provide answers. It’s to provide perspective.

Because at the end of the day, no one knows a startup better than the founder building it.