According to 15 entrepreneurs, these are the best pieces of career advice they’ve ever received

Image credits: Soren Jepsen. 

Often, you’ll only realise the significance of certain pieces of career advice in retrospect, so there is certainly merit in asking those who have walked the entrepreneurial path before you for theirs. You might be taking on a big project at work, thinking of launching a side hustle, or a seasoned business owner yourself – but no matter what stage you’re at in your career, words of wisdom can always push you further.  

Below, we asked 15 inspiring and innovative entrepreneurs to share the best advice they’ve ever been given. They touched on rejection, confidence, strategy and instincts – all different, but all so useful.

Shrankhla Holecek: founder, Uma Oils

“The best advice I’ve been given was to pick your battles, play to your strengths, and delegate well. I haven’t been able to wholly action all of it – but I do recognise that it’s a great blueprint for success.”

Elizabeth Abegg: co-founder, Spell Designs

“The best business advice was given to me by one of the judges of the Telstra business awards. She spotted two areas of weakness in our business and suggested we focus on these as she saw them as being potential threats. These were diversity (in our workplace) and sustainability (like supply chain traceability) and I knew she was right. It’s something we’ve been very focused on ever since.”

Marie Drago: founder, Gallinée

“It’s a marathon, not a sprint. It’s quite tempting to spend too much time at work when you create your brand, but if you are careful about keeping a good life on the side, you’ll be much more successful in the long term.”

Nicole Warne: influencer

“Many years ago, I found myself in a situation where there was a grey area in our informal agreement; they wanted more money and it came down to their word against mine. My lawyer told me to ‘just rip the bandaid off, pay it, and move forward with your life’. I’m really stubborn and believe everyone should be treated fairly and respectfully, so I had a hard time processing this, but it was such a valuable lesson. He made me realise I could agonise for months or just pay it, move on and invest the energy I would lose back into myself and my business. He said the emotional stress it would cause me wasn’t worth the money. It was so simple but effective advice, and something I constantly ask myself nearly every week – ‘Is this worth my emotional stress or time?’”

Lizzie Bland: owner, Lean Bean fitness

“The best advice would probably be just to focus on your business without being intimidated or jealous of the others around you. It only delays you and sucks you of confidence.”

Melinda Andaloro: founder and designer, Saroka

“The best career advice I’ve been given is that you cannot expect an employee to work as hard as you because it’s not their business. It’s absolutely true, having this mindset has allowed me to form great relationships with all my contractors. Kindness and generosity does go a long way.”

Carla Oates: founder, The Beauty Chef

“To follow my gut instinct was the best piece of advice I ever received, and I apply this in every aspect of my personal and professional life. Also, don’t be afraid to say no in business.”

Christy Laurence: founder, Plann

“When you are a Founder, there is no such thing as work-life balance. It was a relief to hear more founders say this because your work is all-consuming, so you have to work out your own version of balance. I like to think of everything in a big soup of life, and I fit everything into the same hours. Want a massage? Grab one at 10 a.m. on a Tuesday. Want to see your friends? Grab a wine at 3 p.m. or do a yoga class in the middle of the day when it’s quiet, but there are no set ‘these are my working hours’ when you run a software business.”

Lauren Curtis: YouTuber and entrepreneur

“You’ll never be able to please everyone, so focus on doing what makes you happy. It’s incredibly simple but it’s taken me the longest time to learn. You will eventually forfeit your own happiness trying to make others happy.”

Kate Morris: founder and CEO, Adore Beauty

“I faced a lot of rejection in the early years. I got knocked back from brand after brand, and it was pretty disheartening. I was thinking about chucking it all in, but my mum said to me, ‘no matter what happens and no matter what people say, you are still you and you’ll be fine’. It was a good way of normalising and minimising the rejection, and learning not to take it personally.”

Carisa Janes: founder and CEO, Hourglasss

“The best advice I’ve been given is that you can’t do something big if you’re investing a little. Years ago, I was developing Hourglass while also working as a consultant. A friend asked me how much time I was actually dedicating to creating Hourglass, and the answer was not very much. He really made me question my priorities, and what I was putting into my future. You wouldn’t expect to go to the Olympics by training only a few hours each week. How could a few hours here and there be enough to get my business off the ground? That question pushed me to make Hourglass my focus, and it set me on the path I’m on today.”

Karen Behnke: founder, Juice Beauty

“When I was young, one mentor would remind me if I ever hesitated to jump on an opportunity with the advice: ‘What’s the worst that can happen? If you can live with it go for it’.”

Shelby Wild: co-founder, Playa Beauty

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“Don’t focus on your competitors or benchmark yourself against others. Work hard, stay focused, and leverage the support of employees and advisors that you trust. The path you take is entirely your own, and follow your instinct.”

Alexandra Clare: co-founder, Re-Coded

“Embrace the vulnerability, say yes to things that may seem scary and just start. So many people have great ideas but get stuck by the idea of starting something, scared that they’ll fail or don’t have all the skills. Sometimes you just have to dive in and embrace the discomfort. You’ll either end up finding the thing that you love doing or at the very least you’ll learn a lot about yourself.” 

Stephanie Gilmore: seven-time world champion surfer

“Trust yourself and your intuition. And there’s beauty in balance.”