#5 is especially important. I always tell everyone going through a startup incubator that they should take every piece of advice with a grain of salt. I went through an incubator and one of the most respected advisors of the incubator came in to talk to us about our pitch. He told my company that we should pitch as the "eHarmony for geeks!" Our startup had absolutely nothing to do with dating. He clearly didn't understand, but as an advisor he felt he should be giving advice regardless. Everyone is trying to look out for you, but remember, you're the one that calls the shots in the end.
When I was going through an incubator I decided that leadership is listening to all of the advice and experience and then actually making my own decision.
