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

Raven Grandberry Jakaya Brawley | Remodeling the “Norm” of a Christian Lifestyle

Social media has a way of boxing influencers in and conforming them to the “standards” of social media. One piece of conventional advice that we disagree with is “If it’s not broken, don’t fix it”. We believe in portraying true authenticity and rawness when we reach our audience. Our goals are not to only reach people but to impact others and transform the world. Success comes with uncomfortableness and taking risks. Focusing on what “works best” for us will keep us stagnant and place us into the box with standard influencers. We are open to implementing new things that will allow for us to share more of God’s word instead of allowing for the fear of failure to drive consistency. Taking the risk without worry of consequences is true influencer freedom. We value Proverbs 3:5, “Trust in the Lord with all of your heart and lean not on your own understanding.” Read more>>

Haley Howard | Med Spa Consultant

You should know what you are doing and have experience and professional training in it, before you get started. Nope-at least not in my field, I had been a stay at home mom for 8 years, with no plans to go back to work. When I started my first job I pretty much followed the saying “fake it ’till you make it”. It was a very entry level position, however not like anything I had done before. I learned quickly, trained myself and asked many questions. (Including how to use a binder clip, but we won’t go into that one!) If I had not taken the job, I would never have ended up where I am now. The people I worked with taught me invaluable lessons. I succeeded very quickly and mostly for not being scared-I got out there, was personable and anytime I was asked if I could do something, I said “I’m on it”-and then figured it out if I didn’t know! Read more>>

Aerika Miles | Owner of i AM brOWN Originations, LLC

One piece of conventional advice that I disagree with this to find a mentor to help you with your business. Instead, I rather have a sponsor that will advocate for me in spaces that I have difficulty reaching in. In the corporate america workplace, we are trained on how to construct certain emails, what to wear, how to wear our hair and other political nonsense-that should not have any weight on how an individual is adequate in their work. With being a minority woman, I have seen and been a victim to this mindset of adjusting external appearances, my speech and other miscellaneous mandates to “succeed in this business”. Read more>>

Tia Michele Walton | Owner of Taste Swim- Online Swimwear Boutique

A parable is defined as ” a simple story used to illustrate a moral or a spiritual lesson”. That is how I think of traditional conventional advice. If there’s no lesson there, then it’s not beneficial. There are so many pieces of conventional advice that I disagree with. My old favorite is that “by 30, you need to have your entire life together.” It’s completely asinine to me. Read more>>

Allison Bolin | Wedding and Portrait Photographer

I firmly disagree with the thought that you must hustle hard in your first few years of business to be worthy of success. Of course you can and should work hard to build your business the best you can, but I don’t believe pushing yourself over and over and over again without any rest will bloom any kind of sustainability for you in the long term. Constantly working at 200% all day every day for weeks and months and years leads to immense burnout that is incredibly hard to recover from. “Hustle culture” has created a mindset that you must overexert yourself constantly or your business won’t “make it”- which doesn’t leave room for taking care of yourself and your needs. As small business owners, we cannot have a successful, long-term business without first taking care of ourselves! Read more>>

Hiroshi Sosa-Nakata | Kid Author and Entrepreneur

Hi Hiroshi, what’s one piece of conventional advice that you disagree with?
First, I should point out that I am only thirteen years old. Every child has heard the saying, “act your age.” That is one piece of advice that I have never taken however. If I were to act my age I would remain silent until called upon, wait until I have mastered a concept before applying it, and not question authority. Instead, I embrace curiosity, share my ideas whenever possible, and question every aspect of the world around me. The result is that, at age thirteen, I have my own publishing company and I am in the process of writing the fourth book in my series, I Saved the World and I’m Only in 4th Grade! Act my age? Never! I’d rather embrace the child within me and encourage others to do the same. Who knows where such curiosity will take you. Read more>>