Business: To Whom Do I Listen?

Photo by ky_olsen on Flickr. Used with permission.

Do listen to:

• your gut
• your friends who own their own businesses
• other entrepreneurs who are doing what you are doing, but are doing it better than you
• gurus in books who make sense to you

Do NOT listen to:

• random people on the Internet who email you with messages that start with "You should."
• your friends who don't own a business
• your mother

People, seriously. I just had someone email me, saying, "the only reason I emailed you is because your picture shows someone who looks sad...Please just trust me. your twitter photo is shows an extremely sad look...from the nose down...from the nose up is ok...consider another picture where your expression is not so down...just want to help...rarely do I critique what smart woman do in business...wish you the best."

Seriously? Out of the blue, you are gonna email someone and tell her that you don't like her photo?

Buddy, please.

1. You are a man. I don't give a shit about your opinion.
2. You are a man. I don't exist to seem sexually available to you, shocking as that may seem.
3. I don't listen to random people on the Internet.

I do, however, use their emails for blog fodder, as needed. Oh, and dude? That photo was taken on my boyfriend's bed, when I was 24. It's not sad. TRUST ME.