As an entrepreneur, a business owner, or even a successful freelancer, you will inevitably face "haters."
Whether it's a competitor who's trying to bring you down, a troll who's become bored with their life and wants to ruin yours—or even those folks in your own social circle who don't believe in your dream—haters are just part of the territory.
You don't have to be über-successful to have haters—many times people start their successful businesses while surrounded by them. (More on that below.)
But when you're putting in 80 hours a week, pounding down who-knows-how-many cups of coffee, and still barely scraping by financially, haters can be especially discouraging.
Not everyone who criticizes you or your business is a hater, of course. True haters are those people whose goal in life seems to be to make you feel discouraged—or to die trying. They're the ones who always have something negative to say, and who will actually go out of their way to try to make you feel bad.
They're the energy vampires of the world, and they can suck all the motivation and drive out of you—if you let them. So don't. Here are a few tips for dealing with haters as an entrepreneur:
1. Don't take it personally.
It's important to remember that haters almost never have anything to do with you as a person. Sure, if your "grind" is selling snake oil, or if your "hustle" is raising the price of prescription drugs 5,500% overnight, you may just be a bad person with an infuriating baby-face. But as an entrepreneur, in most cases your haters are just going to be people who are either really jealous of whatever success you're having, people who simply don't like your business model, or people who simply don't like you for some reason.
I know. It's easy to claim "everyone who doesn't like you is just jealous!" But, a lot of times, it's true—even if they themselves don't realize why they're focusing their energy on you.
2. Take the high road.
If you do find yourself in a situation where you need to respond to a hater, it's important to do so in a calm and professional manner. This will help diffuse the situation and make it clear that you're not going to stoop to their level.
In a public forum, like social media, it's also important to remember that anything you say can and will be used against you—so avoid getting into a back-and-forth battle that you're likely to lose.
It can be very tempting to really give it to your haters, and a lot of times it’s really easy to destroy them with facts or sardonic wit or whatever. Just remember: Seeing you or your company respond to people aggressively doesn’t necessarily make other people want to do business with you. Be calm, be professional, be assertive if you must—but don’t get on their level, bro.
And don't forget, the best way to respond to many haters can be simply by continuing to live your life and build your business—let your success speak for itself.
3. Use haters as motivation.
Remember that haters can be a source of motivation—a strong source of motivation.
When someone tells you that your business will never work, use it as fuel to prove them wrong. Let their doubts drive you to achieve even greater things. You don't need to become Anakin Skywalker burning (literally) with anger and hatred, but doubters and haters can help push you to levels you never would have reached without them.
A little bit of healthy competition can be helpful in keeping you focused and driven.
4. Keep things in perspective.
In the grand scheme of things, haters are pretty inconsequential. Yes, they can be annoying, and at their worst, they may even cost you a few sales here and there. But, in the end, haters are almost always one of the following:
- People who wish they were in your shoes, or achieving similar success
- People who just disagree with you about something—and that's fine
- People who are unhappy with their own lives and want to take it out on you as an act of desperation
- People with too much time on their hands
Sometimes, haters can fit into several of these categories. But, in any case, it's important to remember why they’re acting this way toward you—and that they're generally not worth your time or energy.
If you're focused on your goals and you're confident in what you're doing, haters should be the least of your concerns.
5. Focus on positives—your real friends and fans.
I know it sounds cliché. In fact, it is cliché. But hear me out.
When you're dealing with haters as an entrepreneur, it's easy to fixate on negativity. Don't forget about all of the positive feedback you've gotten from happy customers and the people who do support what you're doing. These are the people who matter—give them a little space in your head, and allow some of their positive energy to drown out the noise from those few strident haters you have.
6. Remember: Haters can be a sign that people are paying attention to you.
Remember that at the end of the day, these people are still focusing their attention on you and what you're doing. Which means you're probably doing something right. If you don't have to deal with criticism, it means you're not making waves. And as a business owner, that's exactly what you should be doing.
Think of it this way: A certain percentage of your audience will almost always be haters. If you find them reading your blog, seeing your ads, watching your videos, downloading your podcasts, or talking about you on social media—hey, you're doing something right. Remember that.
Final Thoughts
Dealing with haters is something that all people who work hard to achieve their dreams will have to face. By following the tips above, you can learn to shrug off the haters and focus on "actually important" things. Like continuing to build your business so that you can make the haters even more jealous.
And becoming happy and successful enough that you don't need to harass random business owners online, because you have actual “things” to do with your time.
To end with, I wanted to share a motivational quote that is actually motivating instead of lukewarm B.S.; this one comes to you from The Bull Moose himself—ol' Teddy Roosevelt:
"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat."
–Teddy Roosevelt, "Citizenship in a Republic" (1910)
If you're feeling down about the haters in your life right now, just remember: Roosevelt had haters too. And he was pretty alright. As far as presidents go.
So, get out there, brew yourself a strong cup of coffee, and do your thing. Haters be damned.
