Episode 497: #Tashmas Day 12: Business advice shopping – smart or sabotage?

How to Tell the Difference (and Navigate Your Own Path)

Today, we’re talking about whether shopping around for business advice is smart, or if it could actually be sabotaging your success. Spoiler: It’s a bit of both! I want to help you work out when it’s genuinely strategic and when it’s a sneaky form of procrastination or self-doubt.

This is also the last day of #Tashmas – day 12! I’ve got a special gift for you at the end of today’s episode, so stick around for that.

Wait… What is #Tashmas?

I do it for both my birthday (1-12 March) and pre-Christmas (1-12 December) every year! Every day up to the 12th of December, there will be a new daily podcast episode, with a hot tip or practical strategy as per usual… but you ALSO get a gift! The daily gift could be a freebie, a special offer, a competition… but there will be something for YOU every single day.

Let’s dive in!

EPISODE 497: Listen using the player below, or click the links to your fave platform to subscribe and listen over there:

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Why Shopping Around Makes Sense (Most of the Time)

Let’s be real: not all business mentors, advisors, or coaches are created equal. There is a massive range of pricing, strategies, personalities—everything. You can pay anywhere from $100 to $50,000 for a single session! So yes, most of the time, shopping around, asking questions, and following a few different people is a smart thing to do.

For example, when Davey and I first started dating, we went TV shopping together. We went to every TV shop on the Sunshine Coast. After finally buying a TV, we drove past another store Davey had forgotten about… and lo and behold, the perfect TV, $25 cheaper! We returned the first TV just to get the cheaper one. I told my flatmate I wasn’t sure I could date someone who needed to shop around that much—was it a red flag? In the end, Davey even brought up the story at our engagement party as proof he knows the value of shopping around, but it did NOT land well with the crowd. Seriously, people started heckling his speech. (He rescued it with some mushy sentiments, thankfully.)

So yes, I’m all for smart shopping around… but there’s a limit. Let’s not go full Davey when it comes to your business!

When Shopping Becomes a Sabotage

Here’s where things get messy: at some point, shopping around for advice or strategy moves from being a wise, empowering move to a way of derailing ourselves. How do you tell when it’s crossed the line? And what if you want to buy something without shopping around—how do you know that’s not sabotage in its own way?

Let’s break it down with a few real-life examples and some questions to keep you grounded.

Advice Shopping vs Shopping for Products

1. The Scroll Hole: Who Are You Following?

Shopping around isn’t always about handing over money. Sometimes, it’s about who you follow and listen to. I think following a diverse group of experts and business people is brilliant—different voices, different models, different platforms. I purposely follow people with all sorts of business models, from low-ticket to high-ticket, Instagram creators, Facebook CEOs, systems geniuses, productivity geeks, copywriters, website specialists—you get the picture. It keeps me out of the “everyone’s doing this” bubble.

But there’s a danger. There was a period in 2016–2017 when I followed too many people with too many strategies. I ended the year with 30 different products—books, courses, retreats, memberships, random packages—and I was scattered all over the place. All because I felt like I should be doing what my peers and “friends from programs” were promoting on social media. I was trying to keep up with everyone else, and it left me overwhelmed.

The solution? An epic cull.

I closed down most of those offers and unfollowed a bunch of people. Not because I didn’t like them—I still kept friendships—but I just couldn’t keep seeing their launches and shiny new things in my feed without feeling like I needed to do more, more, more.

Now I regularly check who I’m following or letting into my inbox. I ask: are these people building my confidence in my strategy, or are they making me doubt myself?

2. Strategy Glut: Are You Using What You Learn?

Another big lesson: it was only when I focused on one strategy (like my Take Off program) and put my blinkers on that I saw real traction. When you’re always trying new things because someone else says “this is the secret,” nothing gets enough attention to actually work. When the AI trend took off, I stuck to my guns even when everyone was launching webinars and programs about it—I checked it out for curiosity’s sake, but I didn’t let it derail my core strategy.

Unfollowing is only half the solution. The other half? Keeping your own plan front and centre and believing in it enough to see it through.

Buying Support: Apples, Oranges, and Everything In-Between

Let’s talk about buying business programs or working with coaches. Shopping around for these is way trickier than searching for TVs or office chairs, because you’re often comparing apples with oranges.

For example, say you want to learn how to create and launch an online course. Three programs might offer that outcome, but one is all about adult learning and making sure people finish the course, another is about marketing tactics and sales pages, and another is about community support. You have to look deeper than just price or module lists.

Here’s my process:

• I find three or four people who offer what I want, and dig into their free content.
• I sign up for their freebies and “funnel watch.” Are they using aggressive tactics? Do they align with my values and consent-based marketing principles? If someone teaches hard-sell strategies in their free funnel, they’ll teach you to do the same.
• I look for clues about access to the expert, community support, delivery format, and my ultimate goals (quick answers or deep learning? Live calls or self-paced?).

For practical tools, like a calendar app, comparison is simple: does it do what I need, and is it in my price range? For big support investments, non-negotiable values come first, price comes last.

Who You Hire (and Why “Vibe” Matters)

Sometimes, the deciding factor is the energy or lifestyle of the person you might hire. I pay close attention to how potential mentors live and talk about their work. Are they overwhelmed and hustling? Do they share how busy and tired they are? Or do they lead lives with spaciousness, flexibility, and ease—the way I want my business to feel?

I’m child-free, but often find myself more drawn to working with parents, especially those who are the primary carer and have to be efficient with their time. They usually aren’t hustling for 40 to 60 hours a week, and their strategies are more aligned with my value of running a business that fits (not dominates) your life. That’s a much bigger factor for me than price.

If you value keeping costs low so you can maximise profit—that’s great! Go with the cheapest hustle coach if that fits your situation. If, like me, you want space and slow living and strategic growth, you might happily pay more for a mentor with those values. The key is to know what’s critical for you before you even start comparison shopping.

Secret Self-Sabotage: Chasing Opinions

There’s another sneaky way advice shopping can slide into sabotage: shopping around for opinions. Ever catch yourself asking five people the same question because you’re not getting the answer you want? I’ve had people come to me after already talking to two other mentors, still unable to make a decision. In those cases, what they really needed was to get honest about the answer they wanted—and why—rather than more conflicting opinions.

Sometimes, you’re not looking for strategy, you’re looking for validation. What you really need is help with mindset or a creative solution that aligns with your reasons, not just another black-or-white option.

When Does Shopping Become Sabotage?

Here’s how I see it: shopping around is sabotage when it stops you from going all-in long enough on a strategy to get meaningful data and make an informed decision. If you’re constantly jumping ship to the next shiny tactic, you never give yourself (or your business!) a chance to build momentum.

Or, if you’re staying busy comparing, researching, and switching things around—but your results don’t actually improve—you might be using advice shopping as a way to avoid discomfort, responsibility, or even success.

A client of mine once switched her course to a membership model because it made strategic sense—her people wanted ongoing access. She had a fabulous launch, but then panicked because she worried she couldn’t hold space for a growing group. Instead of digging into the mindset behind that fear, she shopped around and turned it all the way back into a course. The launch was fine—but her clients quickly asked for the membership experience again! In the end, she realised it was fear of capacity, not strategy, driving her decisions.

Why We’re Tempted to Shop for Answers (and What to Do Instead)

There comes a point in your business journey when you kind of know what you need to do. The shiny new strategies and quick fixes stop making a big difference. You’ve built something, but now it’s time to stabilise, systemise, and trust yourself to make decisions.

That’s scary! I used to make everyone—the coach, the clients—the boss of my business because it felt easier than truly being in charge. When you hit that edge, your brain will want to shop around for someone, anyone, to tell you what to do. Instead, this is your cue to step into CEO mode. Build your strategic muscle and be the expert for your own business.

If you need support, look for help that empowers you to make decisions, not someone who’s just going to hand you answers.

So… Is Business Advice Shopping Smart or Sabotage?

The real answer is: it depends. Don’t just shop around based on price, or because things feel uncertain. Get clear on what you’re really looking for—whether it’s values, energy, support type, or just clarity on your own strategy. Step away from all the shiny content, tune in, and ask: what am I really shopping for? Why do I want it? Am I actually building my own decision-making skills, or dodging responsibility?

If you’re at the point where your next level is about CEO skills—making decisions, planning, being the strategic leader—then you might be ready for a different kind of support.

Your Day 12 #Tashmas Gift!

To wrap up this epic #Tashmas, I have one last gift to share!  

If you’re wanting to scale and grow your business, you might be the perfect fit for my Accelerator. PLUS, if you apply before the end of 2025, you’ll get one last chance to join at the Founding Member price.  

That’s just $395 per month (instead of $495), or $3950 per year (instead of $4950). 
All prices are AUD, and GST is added for Australian tax residents.  

Are you the next Accelerator member? Find out more and apply now: tashcorbin.com/accelerator

And of course, if you have any questions about whether this is the right fit for you, simply get in touch!

Thank you for being part of this episode and for playing along with #Tashmas! If you want to ask me a question for our big episode 500 Q&A, head to tashcorbin.com/question and I might answer it on the show.

Until next time, I cannot WAIT to see you SHINE.