We asked folks we admire to share one piece of conventional advice that they disagree with.

Tameka McKneely | Multi-Passionate Entrepreneur

One piece of conventional advice that I completely disagree with, is that you have to go to school (post-secondary), get an education to get a good job and be successful. When I hear people say this, I often interject and offer another point of view. I think we definitely need to be educated, however I do not feel traditional school is the only way to obtain education. I love to read, I love to try new things, I love to learn, however I personally am not interested in going back to school. I am a well educated woman with no degree. I did attend college for Pre-nursing but decided on a different path. I worked in Corporate America for 20 years before becoming a full time entrepreneur. During that time, I focused on growing through life and not just going through life. I have embarked on and mastered so many things in my career and before venturing into full time entrepreneurship. Read more>>

Marco Cxupreme | Recording Artist

Good things come to those who wait. I believe good things comes to those who take action. There is nothing wrong with having a little patience on the results of their actions but you have to get things rolling then watch the affects. Read more>>

Sarah McNamee | Mompreneur

“Just go for it!” No, you don’t need all this funding or have to create the perfect product to start something amazing. I think the idea that most people have of planning everything out from the very beginning is just not realistic. Just like life, there is no one set path to success – and most of the time that path is messy. I think the best plan is when you jump in and just DO it, You’ll never be “ready”, so why wait? I think it makes the ability to shift and pivot so much easier. If you plan too much, it’s easy to get discouraged or frustrated because it sets up an expectation in your mind of how you think things should pan out because of this grand plan that took you months or even a year to plan out. Read more>>

Judah Agbonkhina | Founder/CEO

One piece of conventional advice that we disagree with is, that you need a lot of money to start and carryout your idea. We created, Suits For Judah, a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization with little to no money and our legal paperwork. Through statistical studies, resource discovery, and organized networking we discovered The Batman Thesis. Which is an examination of The Batman’s ability to be a leader in the Justice League through his tactical skills versus the superheroes with superpowers. Suits For Judah created a strategy to go along with this thesis called ME3 which is Mentorship, Exposure, Entrepreneurship, and Empowerment. We started out ourselves being mentored which lead to our strategy. This then lead to a crucible of trial and error that didn’t allow us to be empowered 1st to succeed, but set us up for success through ME3 which is the opposite of what America is taught. Read more>>

Kristopher Stepps, M.D. | Physician, Motivational Speaker, Entrepreneur

That you have to have every part of the plan worked out. Be very weary of this advice. Some of the best things to happen in my life was a result of me taking “a leap of faith” without all the pieces in place. Deep down in your bosom, there has to be a flame burning for the dream! You must ready to “bet on yourself” at all times. You are your biggest investment! They say faith is taking a step with the belief that there is a staircase ahead. Do not get complacent in life waiting on things to line up for your destiny. Wake up. Determine what you want. And SHOOT THAT SHOT! You are sooo worth it!. Read more>>

Cabria Hunter | Business Creative

People often say make the right move when the timing is right. I beg to differ , you have make the necessary moves as you feel fit. Situations due arise that cause to doubt our dreams. But if you put your dreams in rotation with those challenging situations, you’re bound to overcome. All because you had something worth fighting for. Read more>>

Shanique MJ Davis | Author, Content Creator & Talk Show Host

Growing up in Jamaica, a common parenting factor was the use of colloquialism. This is a set of words or phrases (parables too) that are used to caution anyone who deviates from what is right. As a child, I would often hear my parents and other adults say, “Weh yuh don’ know who hurt yuh.” When translated into more formal English terms it means, “What you don’t know won’t hurt you.” Now, I say that’s ludicrous. You know why? I grew up sheltered by my parents. I didn’t know that being shy would cost me a lot of opportunities. I didn’t know that I’d get hurt by other people and the sooner I forgave and moved on the sooner I could enjoy my life. I didn’t know that I could be my own BARRIER because I’ve told myself some really negative things that deterred me from achieving my goals. Read more>>

Lauren Davis | Dancer, Actor, and Dance Instructor

I hardly agree that “practice makes perfect.” Practice makes habits, whether they be good or bad, so if one wants to improve at his or her craft, one must consistently practice good habits so that they become second nature. Since “perfection” is unattainable and unrealistic, the goal of practicing anything one does should be to constantly improve, to be better than you were yesterday. Read more>>

Simone The Mastermind | Business Strategist | Coach | Author | Speaker

One piece of conventional advice that I disagree with would most definitely have to be “charge what you are worth”. I disagree with this heavily because the value in the products and services that business owners offer are a separate entity from who they are. Secondly, there are so many individuals unaware of their worth so to tell them to charge according to that is what causes so many of them to undercharge and undermine the value of what they have to offer. I tend to correct that by stating “charge according to the value that you provide”. Read more>>

Willa Morton | Social Media Content Creator

Most definitely that being consistent means eventual success. Just because you do the same thing “consistently” doesn’t mean everything will work out for you. Sometimes we have to come to terms that somethings are just not meant to be and that’s actually okay. Not succeeding at one venture allows space for another venture that could be successful. This is why I think it’s best to try different things to get a feel for what your audience/target market truly wants to see from you which, unfortunately, may not align with your idea(s) for your business. Finding a happy medium in addition to realistic expectations is key. Read more>>