12 incredibly successful people share the best piece of advice they've ever received

• Moguls like Richard Branson and Shaquille O’Neal are asked for advice every day, but they too once sought guidance from more experienced business leaders.
• The best advice Branson received from a mentor was "Make a fool of yourself."
• O'Neal's top mentor was his mother, who once told him "Focus on the solution, not the problem."
• Lewis Howe, Daymond John, Jeanine Blackwell, and seven other moguls and business leaders share the best pieces of advice they received. 

Moguls like Richard Branson and Shaquille O’Neal are asked for advice every day, but they too once sought guidance from more experienced business leaders. Years later, even with all of their accomplishments, certain lessons they were taught early on have stayed with them.

Here, Branson, O’Neal, and other top entrepreneurs and Advisors in The Oracles share the No. 1 piece of advice they received from their mentors.

1. Make a fool of yourself.

Sir Richard Branson, founder of the Virgin Group, which controls more than 400 companies; investor, author, and philanthropist worth over $5 billion; previously named one of Time’s 100 Most Influential People in the World:

I wouldn’t have gotten anywhere without the mentorship of Laker Airways founder Sir Freddie Laker. He once told me: “You’re going to have to get out there and sell yourself. Make a fool of yourself — whatever it takes. Make sure you appear on the front page and not the back pages.”

Since that day, I’ve lived very openly, giving others a window into both my business and personal lives — and doing things to get noticed. The public came with me on many ballooning adventures. They were privy to the goings-on of our legal battle against British Airways. They’ve seen my children grow up, and follow my daily life on social media.

2. Focus on the solution, not the problem.

 Shaquille O’Neal, one of the most dominant basketball players in NBA history; entrepreneur, investor, and philanthropist worth $400 million:

My closest mentor is my mom, Lucille O’Neal. The No. 1 piece of advice she ever gave me was this: “Don’t worry about the problem; worry about the solution.”

Too many times when we focus on the problem, we create a bigger problem. Focusing on the solution is the only answer to all our problems.

3. Never stop learning.

Daymond John, Shark on “Shark Tank,” NYT best-selling author of “Rise and Grind,” creator of Daymond on Demand, and founder of FUBU, which has generated $6 billion in sales:

Be a sponge and absorb everything. Listen, read, and research. Ask questions. Take classes, attend workshops, and watch YouTube videos.

Always be willing to learn, no matter how much you think you might understand about your business and its market. There is always another perspective that you can learn from or a demographic that understands your market better than you do.