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Ask HN: What is the best piece of advice someone has told you?

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Re: Ask HN: What is the best piece of advice someone has told you?

#71
post #22

Floss every day!

As someone who doesn't floss every day and has no dental issues.. am I missing something?

Well either you have an abnormally healthy oral flora or a really bad dentist.

Usually the advice is to floss everyday to get rid of carbohydrates in your interdental space which can be a breeding ground for bacteria which will eventuall chip away your tooth enamel leading to eventual tooth decay (if I recite correctly).

Also less mouth odor.

Re: Ask HN: What is the best piece of advice someone has told you?

#72
post #4

Don't tell people your goals. I heard this in a TED talk years ago[0]. Telling people what you plan to do can evoke the same emotions as actually doing that thing, lowering the drive to do the work to accomplish the goal because you got your emotional reward already. Being a serial starter, I retroactively noticed this pattern in myself when I heard this. Now, when I want to do something new, I shut up about it until…

But telling your goals to the people who care about you is actually a good thing. They'd give you honest feedback, point out (any) mistakes, and support you along the way.

Yes. There are things you can’t do by yourself, and we’re a social species.

Re: Ask HN: What is the best piece of advice someone has told you?

#73

I think a lot of stuff in this thread is general proverbs rather than actual advice received from another person. This isn't advice that I've gotten either, but also just general wisdom: never give anyone advice about anything, unless they specifically ask for it. Web search for "unsolicited advice" finds a ton of info about why the practice is annoying. I take it to mean it is ok to try to lead by example instead, o…

I’ve at least been told a couple of unsolicited observations where I appreciate having been told and only so wish that someone had told me long enough ago that it could have made a real difference.

Re: Ask HN: What is the best piece of advice someone has told you?

#75
Best advice I ever read came from an indiehacker post, years ago. Someone asked for advice for improving their landing page, and someone with marketing experience weighed in:

Don't believe for one moment that 5 hours on Product Hunt or anywhere else for that matter represents a serious marketing effort.

If you want to run a business rather just create stuff, your work has only just begun. In the light of Facebook and other social media revelations, the idea of a truly disposable email address which means your entire life is not analysed and spammed to death has to be worth something.

You haven't told anyone about it though. And I mean you shout from the rooftops every day and everywhere you can think of. You market. People are not going to come looking for you. You have to start approaching influencers, be seen and be heard everywhere you think your potential users might lurk.

And, by the way, everyone sees a million new ideas a day so you have to be consistent, appear to be permanent and appear to be solid. No-one is going to entrust communications with you if they think you are a small, one-man band with an idea and little else.

Time to start reading marketing articles and strategies and applying them.

And expect it to take time.

Added bit : I've just watched your video. No, I won't be using your service and nor will anyone else. I have no idea how good it is and I am not going to find out. And nor is anyone else.

Why not? Because you uploaded a silent, technical video. You have made the classic mistake of trying to show me how something works before I even know if I care. This is a technical video, not a selling one.

You need a voice.

You need to tell me what my problem is and make it resonate with me.

You need to tell me how to solve it.

You need to tell me it is simple.

You need to tell me what it costs.

You need to tell me to link right now to the place I can sign up.

You might need some other things but these are the basics.

You need to sell your idea to me, not explain how the software works. I do not give a damn about the bloody software until I give a damn about the bloody problem!

Tell me where I'm hurting, sympathise and then magic-kiss it better. You know - just like Mummy did when I was small!

Re: Ask HN: What is the best piece of advice someone has told you?

#76
post #75

Best advice I ever read came from an indiehacker post, years ago. Someone asked for advice for improving their landing page, and someone with marketing experience weighed in: Don't believe for one moment that 5 hours on Product Hunt or anywhere else for that matter represents a serious marketing effort. If you want to run a business rather just create stuff, your work has only just begun. In the light of Facebook and…

usefull thanks

Re: Ask HN: What is the best piece of advice someone has told you?

#77
post #71
post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As someone who doesn't floss every day and has no dental issues.. am I missing something?

Well either you have an abnormally healthy oral flora or a really bad dentist. Usually the advice is to floss everyday to get rid of carbohydrates in your interdental space which can be a breeding ground for bacteria which will eventuall chip away your tooth enamel leading to eventual tooth decay (if I recite correctly). Also less mouth odor.

I've changed dentists in the last year (due to location) and no new issues identified.

Never had an issue with mouth odor.

I imagine most people don't floss every day.

Re: Ask HN: What is the best piece of advice someone has told you?

#80
post #59

“Try to never be the person who cares the most” was an offhand remark my dad made to me when I was stressed over a group project in school. It helped me what in hindsight would’ve been very stressful situation many, many times.

This is great advice as an employee (which I try to follow and sometimes succeed), but practically impossible to follow as a founder.

It’s not for everyone, for sure. The larger implication is “live a good, comfortable life rather than an exceptional one”
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