Business Leaders on Their Best Advice

Over the years I have interviewed hundreds of America’s top leaders and a question I love asking is: “What is the single best piece of advice you have ever received?” Here are the answers I received to that question from several top business leaders:

Shane Evans, Founder and President of Massage Heights: “To follow through on commitment, big or small.” – my dad.

Jonathan Barnett, Founder and CEO of Oxi Fresh Carpet Cleaning: Act like you’ve got the green light. A lot of people live life like they’re waiting at a red light, looking for some outward sign that it’s time to move forward. In business, that’s usually waiting for the “Right Moment” or the “Perfect Opportunity.” If you’re waiting for those, get ready to wait for a long time – or forever. Instead, act like you’ve always got the green light. Move forward, pursue your goals, and don’t wait for things to be perfect. Sure, you’ll encounter bumps in the road, sharp turns, things like that, but that means you’re still advancing. The person at the red light may never hit a bump, but that’s only because they’re not moving.

Joey Pointer, President and CEO of Fleet Feet: Joey: When I worked at Ernst & Young, one of the partners always used to say, “It is not brain surgery. No one is going to die.” The point is, mistakes will happen. Own your mistakes. Learn from your mistakes. Do not be afraid to discuss them so that others will also learn from them. Do not hide them or try to cover them up.

Amy Hoopes, President of Wente Family Estates: My dad once advised me: “you need to be independent and self-sufficient”.  Looking back, he may have said it in part for his own survival: as the father of five girls, he needed to know that we would eventually move out of the house.  His words and advice had a tremendous impact on me. They gave me a boost of confidence in myself and my own ability to realize opportunities – to reach for what I wanted and have some impact over the direction of my life and successes. Of course, this doesn’t mean that relying on and needing other people isn’t important. A lifetime of experiences on team sports, working on inspiring teams and in partnerships has taught me the value – and enjoyment – of relying on and collaborating with others.  

Walt Rakowich, former CEO of Prologis: It’s called the Golden Rule, and it’s found in the book of Matthew. “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you.” (Matthew 7:12)

Scott Fischer, CEO of Dippin’ Dots: That we never become static, we either grow or we die. Whether it is through the development of our brand equity, organizational growth, or growth of myself personally and professionally I always try to improve or learn a little more.

Tom Seery, founder and CEO of RealSelf.com: My college roommate gave me advice that stuck with me: Take the road trip. What that means is that you are going to learn so much more by going outside of your comfort zone and discovering the world instead of just sitting with a textbook in your dorm room and trying to master the principles of advanced calculus. That openness and encouragement to learn about other cultures and how other people live their lives has really stuck with me.

Mike Kirban. founder and CEO of of Vita Coco: Apart from the advice my dad gave me, to “Never listen to the Whatare’ya, nuts?! people,” I’d say to hire slowly, fire quickly. Having the right people around you is key. 

Rhonda Vetere, CIO of Herbalife Nutrition: The best piece of advice I ever received was to learn to play golf. It has been an absolute game changer for me because there is so much business that happens out on the golf course.

Rob LoCascio, founder and CEO of LivePerson: When I was sleeping on the couch in my small little office when I got started, the psychologist I mentioned told me, “Do yourself a favor. Go down and give. Even though you’re sleeping on the couch, and you’re eating ramen noodles, and you can’t shower at home. Give. Give back. There are people far less fortunate.”

Wan Kim, CEO of Smoothie King: There are two things. The first is, shit happens. I firmly believe in that because if you expect shit to happen, there is less surprise and emotions, and you’re better prepared to deal with those things should they come up. At Smoothie King, we always remember it’s not about what happens, but rather, how we deal with it. The second is, you cannot have everything. We really believe this. Even though there are many opportunities out there, we always ask ourselves whether or not it falls under the goal we set for the year. If it doesn’t, we pass it along.

For the full interviews with all of these leaders, visit my Lessons in Leadership series in Thrive Global. For my podcast interviews with Fortune 500 CEOs, founders and CEOs of household name companies, celebrities, athletes, generals, admirals, etc., visit Thirty Minute Mentors.


Adam Mendler is the CEO of The Veloz Group, where he co-founded and oversees ventures across a wide variety of industries. Adam is also the creator and host of the business and leadership podcast Thirty Minute Mentors, where he goes one on one with America's most successful people - Fortune 500 CEOs, founders of household name companies, Hall of Fame and Olympic gold medal winning athletes, political and military leaders - for intimate half-hour conversations each week. Adam has written extensively on leadership, management, entrepreneurship, marketing and sales, having authored over 70 articles published in major media outlets including Forbes, Inc. and HuffPost, and has conducted more than 500 one on one interviews with America’s top leaders through his collective media projects. A top leadership speaker, Adam draws upon his insights building and leading businesses and interviewing hundreds of America's top leaders as a top keynote speaker to businesses, universities and non-profit organizations.

Follow Adam on Instagram and Twitter at @adammendler and listen and subscribe to Thirty Minute Mentors on your favorite podcasting app.