Or: Why Asking the Internet for Marketing Help Is Like Letting the Joker Be Your Business Coach
What do Batman, your uncle who “almost started a business once,” and Facebook comment threads all have in common?
They all love to give advice. Whether it’s to the bat family, or just about how back in their day things were different.
Because let’s be honest…when it comes from someone who dressed up in a cape and cowl and beats people up…or from someone who never stepped into the arena…or from a random keyboard warrior the advice is USUALLY totally unhinged.
Just last week I saw someone post in a law firm owners group:
“What are you all doing for marketing?”
Cue 137 responses ranging from “billboards and buses” to “cold DMs to everyone I’ve ever met” to “just manifest the cases you want, bro.”
It’s the business equivalent of walking into Arkham Asylum and asking, “Hey, how should I run my firm?” Sure, you might get a gem, but you’ll also get 42 people shouting “AI!” while wearing tinfoil hats.
So today, let’s talk about why free advice can be so expensive, how to filter what’s actually useful, and when you should nod politely and run for the Batmobile.
Why People Love to Give Free Advice (Even When They Shouldn’t)
- It feels good to be the expert.
Even if they have no idea what they’re talking about. (The Dunning-Kruger effect in action) - It’s easier to talk than to listen.
Offering advice lets someone feel like they’re helping without doing any actual work. Speech is silver, silence is golden, but doing the actual work is adamantium!
that says, “This feels off” They assume their solution is universal.
“If it worked for me, it must work for everyone else, right?”
(Ask Superman how often his strategies work for Batman…you just laser vision the guy in half, no? Cold breath him? Fly?)
The Hidden Cost of Free Advice
Not all advice is bad. But most of it is incomplete.
You get surface-level tips that don’t consider:
- Your goals
- Your resources
- Your market
- Your team
- Your current workload
- Your risk tolerance
- Your values
- Your strengths
- Your tech stack
- Your client avatar
- Your budget
- Your freaking life
That guy who scaled with TikTok and VA sent cold DMs?
He might work 90-hour weeks and never sees his kids.
That woman killing it with billboards?
She might spend more on ad space than your entire firm makes in a quarter.
You’re not them. You don’t have to be.
When to Trust Advice (and When to Toss It)
Keep it if:
- It aligns with your long-term goals
- It fits your values and vision and ideal client avatar (AUDREY LINK TO THIS DOCUMENT PLEASE)
- It makes sense given your stage of business
- The person giving it has done what you’re trying to do—and done it well
- It feels like a small experiment you can try and measure
Ditch it if:
- It feels out of alignment (even if you’re tempted because “everyone’s doing it”)
- It would require a massive overhaul for minimal gain
- You’d hate your life if it actually worked
- The person giving it has zero context on you or your firm
- It triggers that little gut check…”
As Ghostbusters taught us: When someone asks if you’re a god, you say yes.
But when someone on Facebook tells you to pivot your entire business to AI Chat Bots because it “crushes for them”? You say: “Thanks. Not for me.”
5 Questions to Filter Free Advice Like a Pro
- Does this align with my goals?
(Or is it someone else’s path entirely?) - Would I want the life of the person giving this advice?
(Not just their revenue.) - Is this a solution to a problem I actually have?
(Not just shiny object syndrome.) - Can I test this without burning my business down?
(Small bets > all-in gambles.) - Does this support the life I’m trying to build—or distract me from it?
(Your calendar is a reflection of your values.)
The Takeaway: Free Advice Isn’t Free If It Derails Your Life
Ask better questions. Run better filters. And remember:
Just because it worked for someone else doesn’t mean it’s the right move for you (or even still a viable option for everyone…those yellow pages ads used to KILL!!!!)
Just because it’s free doesn’t mean it’s cheap.
And just because someone’s loud doesn’t mean they’re right.
Take what serves you. Leave the rest.
And if someone tells you the key to success is “just grind harder,” tell them you’ll be over here building a business and a life—on purpose.