Mentioned my startup to a guy at the car wash and he gave me better advice than three paid consultants

I was squeegeeing my windshield at the Self Serve on Gratiot last Tuesday and this older guy starts asking what I do. He ran a small auto parts shop in Hamtramck for 25 years and told me I was overcomplicating my customer pipeline. Has anyone else gotten solid business insight from a total stranger in a random spot?

3 comments

3 Comments

gavin2281mo ago

Have you ever noticed how random chats just hit different than paid advice?

james_bell1mo ago

Drives me crazy how true this is. Paid advice always feels like they're holding back the real stuff, or they're just reading off a script they use for everyone. A random chat with someone who's been through it just gives you the raw truth without the marketing spin. You can tell when someone actually knows what they're talking about versus when they're just trying to sell you on a package. Plus, in a random chat you can ask the dumb questions without feeling like you're wasting their billable hours. That's where the gold is, the stuff nobody puts in a guidebook.

max2231mo ago

Bought a used van from a guy at a gas station and he ended up fixing my whole supply chain model in ten minutes. Paid consultants love to talk about "optimizing workflows" but the real answer is usually simpler, like just cutting out the middleman you didn't know you had. Ask about their biggest mistake and watch how fast they open up. That's the shortcut nobody sells you.