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Comment by kjhughes | Hacker News Reader

The article is really no better than its link-bait title would suggest. If you read it, you'll have a nagging feeling all along that you're not going to learn anything, and that feeling will be confirmed when you get to the end:

“The ability to ask for advice, and assimilate it correctly is the single most important thing you’ll have to do in your business life.”

“I can tell you how I made a million dollars. The real question is: how are you going to?”

“And that, you’re going to have to figure out for yourself.”

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Really sorry that you feel that way. I tried to write it in a way that would speak to some of the things I've learned over the last few years. That advice may seem obvious, but I'm continually surprised at how many people don't think about things that way.

I know a lot of entrepreneurs that refuse to think they ever need help, or who do the "flip-flop" I described where they change their opinions every time they talk to someone new. Sorry again that you felt like you didn't get much out of it, I'll think about how I might be able to change that.

Re: People who think they never need help.

Zeus, I hate dealing with these people. Its just a waste of time. One of the key lessons about business is to learn to delegate.

"But orange, I don't have money to hire someone to help!" - is what I often hear. My answer is:

"Money is just a trading tool. There are always other options available. Always ask and explore those other options." You would not believe the amount of things I get from doing trades. You don't need money to get what you want. Money is more convenient, but its not the end.

Have to disagree with you on that one. I didn't expect a post on how to generate a million bucks (the same way I wouldn't expect to find a 100% guaranteed success way to SEDUCE DA LADEEZ if I clicked an ad on one of those more, ahem, personal sites).

It's a well written article that explains why, as you highlighted:

"The ability to ask for advice, and assimilate it correctly is the single most important thing you’ll have to do in your business life."

I'm fairly well-read in startup business methods and techniques and hadn't come across this lesson, specified this clearly, before.

And from the article:

“When you understand this, what you’ll start doing is listening to advice in a different way. You won’t think about what people are saying to you. You’ll start thinking about what people are saying about themselves and how they think.”

The article speaks more about your post than your post speaks about the article.

Dan, great post. Its a reality that few people ever realize. Learning how to listen, but also how to figure out what people are saying is a game changer. Its the difference between being broke and having money.

There are good and bad titles but I don't see what's wrong with this one. It draws you in and the article goes on to provide valuable information. The author doesn't use it to sell viagra or help you add an inch. He's just selling a point which he makes admirably so.

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