If they suggest you should buy a stock, ask whether they have done it.
If they tell you to take a BIG risk, ask them how and when they have taken a similar risk.
Words are easy. There are millions of consultants and coaches and sales people out there who have literally never done the things they tell others to do.
As a business owner, I’m used to taking risks. But when I’m evaluating a potential action that could be dangerous, I strongly prefer to get advice from other business owners who have taken similar risks. Everyone else is simply sharing an opinion. They don’t have first-hand knowledge, and they don’t understand what it is really like to have skin in the game.
“Are you doing this?” is a question that helps you to evaluate the degree to which you can trust the person who is offering you advice. It shifts a conversation very quickly to a more realistic and grounded space.
