In the tail end of 2018, I built a prototype for a robot photographer. The goal was for it to one day serve as a photographer's stunt double, so that photojournalists won't always have to put themselves in danger's way in chaotic zones.
The further vision was to repurpose the robot to assist in search and rescue missions.
Advisors: "Our city is a very peaceful place. No one's ever gonna need your product here."
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Then I also built a rescue app. It's a modernized emergency dispatch system for cases where 999 (911 in the US) calls are just not feasible. The app is blockchain-powered, which means it's fast and more secure.
Advisors: "Why would I need this when I could just call 999?"
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Such negative, old-fashioned feedback.
Did I let that stop me from building things? No, I just stopped listening to "advisors."
The moral of the story is that it's OK to trust our gut instincts and build whatever we believe are worth building. If nothing else, the experience alone is priceless.