Asking two people for the same favor and leaving one of them hanging is not cool. — “Marina, can I get your advice on something? It’s kind of personal, and I value your experience in dealing with with these things.” I checked my watch. It was almost 8pm; I was starving and ready to get out of the office. …

Don’t say your biggest weakness is perfectionism — As an entrepreneur and advisor who has experienced successes, failures, and all manner of in-betweens, I’m often asked for my take on everything from fundraising to team-building, to dealing with difficult people at work. …

Learn to recognize when your ‘dip’ becomes a bottomless pit — Much has been made of the idea that you will face a “dip” before your effort on a new project, a new career path, or a new hobby pays off. That’s great advice. Unless you’re in the dip forever. …

Wisdom can only be gained the hard way — I walked into the room feeling like the least accomplished person in there. It was an invite-only group for tech founders whose companies had hit certain milestones. A support group of sorts. …

Political pandemonium gives us a rare opportunity for ideological freedom — For a single fleeting moment at the Oscars, Will Smith had fun. Not while slapping comedian Chris Rock — before that. It was right after Chris Rock made the joke about Jada’s hair, and right before Jada gave the look. In his unfiltered, authentic moment, Will Smith laughed. …

Hustle culture isn’t the problem; glitter-chasing is — The road to entrepreneurial success is strewn with the victims of hustle culture — acolytes of gurus like Gary Vaynerchuck who blindly follow the doctrine of do more, work harder, go faster, sleep less. But all too often, the hustle doesn’t pan out, to the surprise of workaholics who will…

Putting other people front and center shows maturity — As a modern human who participates in the internet, I receive dozens of cold pitches on LinkedIn and in my inbox daily. …

Their advice tells you what THEY need to hear — During a turbulent period in my business, I joined a local gym to get myself in fighting form. The gym owner, a 45-year old divorced father, exuded massive, if exaggerated, self-confidence and often chatted me up about business. Running a gym didn’t afford “Tony” the level of public adulation he…