13 Sh*t people say to entrepreneurs

by | 27 Comments

Sometimes advices come from the love of our family and friends not wanting us to get hurt or afraid we might fail.

Sometimes advices come from people who doesn’t want to see us successful, or jealousy, or afraid that one day, WE will be more successful than them.

Starting a business from scratch or going after your dreams, it’s tough.

I’m in the process now too. I stop counting how many times people have tried to put me down.

Here are some of the things people will say to put you down when you want to start a business or when you’re chasing after your dreams.

  1. You can’t do it. 
  2. You mean you don’t to get a real job?
  3. Why do you want to go into business? Its risky!
  4. You know, its not going to work.
  5. You can’t do it 
  6. No one will buy, there is no market.
  7. When are you getting a real job?
  8. It’s not the right time to start a business
  9. You can’t do it
  10. Don’t give up your career! Why do you want to give it up?
  11. How much money can you make doing this?
  12. You will never be successful
  13. You can’t do it.
If I had listened to the “advices” people gave me, I wouldn’t have started my own business and I wouldn’t have started blogging and writing.

My best advice is know what you’re doing and be mentally prepared, its going to be tough and you’re in for an exciting ride.

What are some of the things you hear people say to you when you just got started? How did you overcome it? Love to hear them below.

I’ll end this post with one of my favourite quote

“They can’t hurt you unless you let them.” – Unknown”

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  • http://ashcasmir.blogspot.com/ Ashwin Casmir

    The one I’ve heard a lot, when a friend of mine got into starting his business is, “Stay in your job, you can do your iwn business during your spare time”

    PS: You’ve got the meme wrong ;-P

  • http://twitter.com/kirathanz GOAT

    You are inexperienced.

  • Cole Rautenbach

    Hi, I’m in the business of copywriting and editing – it’s my own business. In the interests of keeping things high quality on the Internet, I suggest you contact me to edit your piece. Your advice may come across as professional, but your language needs some tweaking to make it *that* much more professional. Good motivational piece nonetheless.

  • http://askaaronlee.com Aaron Lee

    I heard of that one before too. Thanks mr/mrs/miss goat. :D  

  • http://twitter.com/TechGeek_Guy TechGeek_Guy

    great post

  • http://askaaronlee.com Aaron Lee

    LoL! my meme was wrong? I am gonna make another one later. 

    Hope your friend got into business despite that. :D  

  • http://askaaronlee.com Aaron Lee

    Thanks for the offer Cole. 

    I do have an editor to help me with that. This piece is not edited though. 

    Its purely from my own experience and own thoughts. Wanted it to be “me”. Professional or not. :)

  • http://askaaronlee.com Aaron Lee

    thank you sir. Purely from the heart and what i am going through now :)

  • http://ModelSuppliesBlog.com ModelSupplies

    WOW, Aaron~! They sure do~! I let people talk me out of my first, original and real calling to Musical Theater. I simply moved from one state, Florida where everything was possible to another state, Michigan where everyone has a “real job”. It nearly ruined my life until I figured out that I can still take the whole of all my experiences and create my business.

    I have often heard “real jobs” described as a sort of slave mentality where people are trading time for money and there can never be enough time to bring enough money. I couldn’t agree more~! I say you CAN do it and furthermore, you are FAR BETTER OFF counting on YOURSELF than counting on other people always worrying if they will go out of business or you will get laid off, etc. Who is better than you to run your life? =)

    Great post~! Thanks for this – it is something we need to constantly remind one another. x0x

  • glitterglitzer

    :-) Oh well… Do what your heart tells you. In the end what is really important is that you are happy.

  • Ryan Critchett

    Cool post my man. It’s true. People will try holding you back, but what they’re really doing is exposing their insecurities. “it won’t work” is obviously the mantra they run in their heads.

    People have told me all kinds of limiting crap. Like “you’ll never get people to mail their iPhones to you” (we fix cracked screens), and what do ya know! People mail them in all day long!

    Entrepreneurs see reality, when others use words like “realistic” but are really being limited by their own thinking.

  • http://askaaronlee.com Aaron Lee

    thanks dear! when are we having our little chat again? I miss those days. 

  • http://askaaronlee.com Aaron Lee

    Hi Ryan! 

    Wow! thank you so much for sharing your story. It definitely shows what people will say or tell you to try to put you down. Love to know more and share with my readers about your story in the future if you don’t mind. Thank you! 

  • http://askaaronlee.com Aaron Lee

    Thank you so much for sharing your story Anita. So glad you didn’t let it get to you and started your own business. 

    Your story have motivated me :)  

  • http://ModelSuppliesBlog.com ModelSupplies

    I’m so glad~! That is what I wanted – to motivate you~! The worst part for me was that it was family with good intentions. You never know where the doubt will come from. Don’t listen to people about your grammar – just keep working on it – they do not have the largest following in their country as you do in Malaysia~!  (No offense to other poster, just building up a Lee, here ;-)  Plus, it is your 2nd language~! Most of us can barely speak English as our 1st~! lol 

  • Catherine

    Thankfully no one ever said any of this to me.  When anyone says anything against what I want to do, it pushes me more!  I love it because it motivates me.  I’m never wanting to follow the crowd.  I’m forever moving in the line up, moving in the crowd, unable to stand still…literally.  And now I”m starting up another business, my second after selling my first.  Wanna help me?  Just tell me its not a good idea! 
    Catherine

  • http://www.lomaymi.com/ Luis O Maymí

    “Don’t give up your career! Why do you want to give it up?”

    That one I can identify with most. I drop out of college to pursue, better said, dedicate my full time to my business. I felt that I was literally wasting my time, energy and health (yes, it came to that) in something that would probably not help me at all in the future. All I can say is people (society) don’t take lightly when a person decides to stop following the same rules and “templates” others have used for generations. In my case, many family members and friends could not believe that I drop out of college and they constantly told me that it was a mistake and that I should go back. 
    I learned to believe in myself more than ever and to believe in my projects, in my ideas and above all to NEVER EVER stop working. To NEVER get discourage no matter how many times I fail (which in business are A LOT). Is about moving on, never giving up and being meddler (this one may sound weird, but it had open me many business opportunities). 

  • http://askaaronlee.com Aaron Lee

    Catherine, its not a good idea! don’t do it! :)

    LoL! you’re such an inspiration. Love to hear more about your business. How do i reach you? 

  • http://askaaronlee.com Aaron Lee

    You are AMAZING Anita, thank you so much. 

    English is actually my first language, was brought up with english and learnt Malay as my second. However, language wasn’t my strongest skill too LoL! 

    Can I say “doing” is my best skill? :)
    thank you so much for your daily dosage of motivation. Shall visit this blog post from time to time and remember what you said. :)  

  • tgow

    My mother gave me the best advice of all. “While you’re listening to people who are telling you what you can’t do, why aren’t you out there doing it?”

  • Nick Sweeney

    *it’s*

  • http://www.mynotetakingnerd.com/blog Lewis LaLanne aka Nerd #2

    This is probably the biggest challenge you’ll ever meet when going into business for yourself – not managing yourself, not marketing, not advertising, not implementation. Nope. It’s going to be you overcoming all the garbage everyone you love dumps into your mind.

    And what’s crazy is that there’s a positive intent behind the worst comments. But the one thing you have to remember is that people don’t want you to change because if you do, the ways they manipulate you stop working. If you aren’t conscious of this, it’s easy to cave to their “good” and “well-meaning” opinions.

    Starting your first business requires you to be a new you. You 2.0. You can’t be the old you and succeed because the old you has zero reference for the massive resistance you’re about to face.

    Thank you Aaron for being a beacon of light to all of us on the quest to evolve.

  • http://cashwithatrueconscience.com/rbblog Ryan Biddulph

    Hi Aaron,

    This is must reading for any new entrepreneur. Excellent!

    Branching out to live a life where YOU are in control of your future makes you the object of envy, of folks who lack the courage to do the same. Jealousy is a nasty little emotion that few can bottle up. The low energy manifests as these poisonous limiting beliefs.

    What did I do? Well, I lost many friends who no longer vibed with my entrepreneurial mindset, and surrounded myself with friends who did. Problem solved.

    Thanks for sharing Aaron :)

    Ryan Biddulph

  • http://gavinsbusinessblog.com/ Gavin

    Starting a business is tough and all sorts of stuff will come at you! The key is keep your eye on the target!

    Keep saying how can I be better than yesterday and go for it!!

    I enjoyed this post very much Aaron. Thank you!

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1330535369 Tim Singleton

    I figured out that I wanted to be captain of my own ship before I was old and crippled.
    As for the naysayers, well, it was not too long that I decided that being one of those folks who are happy for the rich instead of jealous like 99% of my co-workers and family, maybe their opinions and words were worth exactly Sh*t in the grand scheme of things. Besides, a blue collar, barely above minimum wage employee knows exactly Sh*t about whether a business will work anyway.
    Short answer: I quit looking to losers for answers on why winners win.

  • http://osakabentures.com/english-2/saulfleischman/ Saul Fleischman

    People try to “help” – by playing “devil’s advocate. “What ill you do when —- happens? What if —- doesn’t sell, then what do you do…?” Stuff like that. I’m with you, Aaron.

  • Carl Thomas

    Love this as its so true! I like to think of it as i do what others want to do but don’t have the balls to take the risk.

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