These pieces of advice were indispensable to me as I became more successful as an entrepreneur.
I've come a long way as an entrepreneur, making a lot of mistakes, coming up with a lot of good ideas, and succeeding where I thought I'd fail (and failing where I thought I'd succeed). I credit my own hard work and determination for much of my success, but I'd be crazy to suggest I didn't have help along the way, from mentors, peers, and chance meetings at networking events and workshops.
Today I'm interested in sharing three of the most important pieces of advice I've heard:
1.Know when it's time to let go. A lot in startup culture is about never giving up--about fighting for what you believe in, no matter what. In my early days as an entrepreneur, I adhered to this idea religiously. I fought for every concept, every idea, and stubbornly held onto countless ideas I thought were perfect. Unfortunately, not every idea is perfect and not every idea is worth holding onto. Sometimes it's better to let go and move on, and you need to know when it's time to do so.
2.Failure isn't failure. When I realized my first company wasn't going to make it as a success, I was devastated. I felt like a complete failure, and that my journey as an entrepreneur was completely over. Fortunately, that wasn't the case. Failure is just a learning experience that you can apply to your future endeavors.
3.Show, don't tell. Too many startups spend all their time trying to convince the world how great they are through advertisements, content, and other meaningless fluff. Rather than adopting this style of self-promotion, it's far better to simply build a great product, and let that speak for itself.
Hopefully these pieces of advice have the same effect on you as they did on me. They force you to reevaluate your perspective, think critically about your goals, and work even harder to achieve your long-deserved success.
Jose Vasquez is a serial entrepreneur and tech enthusiast dedicated to helping startup technology companies get the direction and momentum they need to succeed. As the founder of Build. Brand. Blast., Jose has established a collective resource for tech entrepreneurs to consult when brainstorming, creating, launching, or expanding a new business. Jose is also the founder and CEO of Quez Media Marketing, a marketing firm that combines technology and creativity to help new and growing companies get the results they need.
This blogger graduated from Goldman Sachs' 10,000 Small Businesses program. Goldman Sachs is a partner of the What Is Working: Small Businesses section.