A barista asked me about my business every morning for a year. Those conversations were better than any mastermind.
Same coffee shop every morning. She'd ask what I was working on. I'd explain in plain language because she wasn't in business and jargon meant nothing.
Explaining my business problems to someone outside the industry forced clarity I never got from talking to other founders. Founders speak in frameworks and assumptions. She'd just ask "but why?" until the actual problem surfaced.
"We're optimizing our funnel." Why? "To get more leads." Why do you need more leads? "Because revenue is flat." Why is revenue flat? "Because... actually because our existing customers aren't buying the new thing." So the problem isn't leads. "...no. I guess it isn't."
Thirty-second conversation. Saved me from spending $3K on ads solving the wrong problem.
She doesn't know she was consulting for me. I tip extremely well.