Do you struggle with getting people to take you seriously as a business owner? Today we’re discussing naysayers, people who do not offer you their approval or support when they find out that you have a small business. These can be people who you know from the social scene, members of your community, parent peers if you are a mom or dad, or such.
Of course, it would be ideal if people who you had social connections with took you seriously as a business owner.
But even worse, family members seem to lack faith in us as a small business owner. What’s up with that, and what can you do about it? The “what’s up” is primarily about others not appreciating that you prefer to work independently and not follow the group. We talk about this more in another article in this series.
For now, let’s explore ways to cope when we find ourselves at a loss for support and encouragement in our business endeavors.
Limit time discussing the details of your work.
If your family, friends, and people you socialize with seem to have a negative reaction when you talk about your business and that makes you feel bad and demotivates you, there is a simple solution.
Minimize the discussion of details that relate to your business conduct. Even better, you can just not talk about your business at all to these people. Keep it vague so that they do not have any information that they can twist and use against you in a discouraging way.
Minimize contact with people who do not support you in your business endeavors.
Face it, if you are a business owner, then you’re probably busy. You don’t have time to waste talking about irrelevant topics with people who do not have your best interest in mind. If you find yourself getting stuck in a conversational trap with a nay saying family member or friend who isn’t supportive of your business goals, then do the simple thing. Just avoid or minimize your contact with such people. You’ll find yourself with some extra time that you can put toward growing your business, which can be very lucrative and awesome for you.
Find a business-minded crew to run with.
Find a new crowd of people to hang with who can offer encouragement, ideas, helpful suggestions, and useful solutions to everyday challenges that you face in your business. You may discover that there is a local group of individuals who own businesses right in your town or in a neighboring town.
Band together with these people to discuss important business related topics. They will likely serve as a springboard for your ideas and bring positive reinforcement to help you make big gains in your business.
If you’re not sure where to start with this, look up local business networking and see if you can’t find an in-person group to meet up with.
