Not Giving a SH*T What People Think Will Help Your Business Succeed

A few days ago I posted on Instagram saying ‘Life gets better and easier when you don’t give a shit what other people think’. How you internalise what people think of you can have huge effects on your business success. This is something I wanted to expand on here.

On my power walk this morning (I can’t say enough about the benefits of exercise for clearing your head and helping you with business and life decisions!) I realised it’s a subject which keeps coming up in the interviews I have with celebs who have often been exposed to negativity and even outright abuse on social media. I mean, I get a bit of it, everyone who puts themselves ‘out there’ does, but if you’ve been on Love Island, Towie, The Apprentice or any show which attracts millions of viewers – you get the most personal, hurtful bile (I can’t think of a better word for it) via tweets, Facebook comments or even DMs.

The celebs who have appeared on these shows are always great characters and loads of fun – and I think that’s why they get targeted so much. You only get through the auditions for these shows if you’ve got something interesting to say and you have loads of spark, loads of spunk 😃, loads of personality, loads of honesty – and by the way the same applies to achieving business success!

 

Having character attracts attention

 

Unfortunately, their outlook on life seems to attract a lot of jealousy and negativity. If you’re boring and have nothing to say, no one’s going to engage with you – positively or negatively! Oscar Wilde said “there’s only one thing worse than being talked about, and that’s not being talked about” and that applies here! So here are my five top tips for not giving a shit about what people think.

5 tips for not giving a sh*t about what people think 

 

Tip #1 – Listen to the young

 
This tip comes direct from family – my teenage daughter Harlie! We recently filmed the first in our ‘Young Money’ series (she’s a natural!) and she gave a really clear, concise message about the importance of not giving a shit about what people think… 
 

TIP #2 – move on and focus on the next challenge

 

I interviewed Josh Ritchie recently – and he’s a topical example of someone who’s felt the wrath of public opinion. His crime? To split up with someone!! That’s how ridiculous it all is. Josh showed me some of the abuse he’s received which when you read it out loud, is actually comical. One said:

“I’m gonna unfollow you, you’re an arsehole.”

I mean, what’s the point?! Some people have so much time on their hands and their priorities all wrong!!

Josh has a thick skin. If you’re in the public eye, you have to develop a skin thicker than a rhino. It comes with the territory. Again, it’s the same in business. You’ll experience failure, and people will be saying “I told you so” when a venture doesn’t work out. People will criticise you and maybe even say your crazy. But, I bet people told Mark Zuckerberg he was crazy when he launched a little networking site at college! Ignore them, move on and focus on the next challenge!

 

TIP #3 – The haters are not your customers

 
What I realised very quickly when I started producing content was if you don’t like me online, you’re not going to like me offline. So you’re not going to buy something from me, you’re not going to get into a business conversation with me where I could invest in you – so fuck you! In fact, you’ve done me a favour – we can stop wasting each other’s time and I can move on to do business with all of the inspirational, motivated, ambitious people out there! Thats how business success works.
 

TIP #4 – DON’T let people’s opinions change you and your business journey!

 
 If you believe 100% in yourself and your business It. Does. Not. Matter. What. Other. People. Think. It doesn’t matter whether you’re selling beers or million pound properties (both of which I’ve sold in my time!!), you know you can do it.
 

TIP #5 -Hang out with positive people!

 

I try and surround myself with upbeat and lively characters and ‘doers’ who will give you support, and will also be honest enough to give you advice and CONSTRUCTIVE criticism. You will find it easier to dismiss someone hiding behind a computer screen, who doesn’t have the balls to even use their real name and photo, if you’ve got people fighting your corner. The odds are they’ll also have suffered from insecurities and worries about what people think. So have a chat about this, open up to each other!

Do what’s best for you. Don’t give a fuck about what other people think!

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AUTHOR 

Picture of Matt Haycox

Matt Haycox

Matt Haycox is a self-made entrepreneur who began his career revitalising a family uniform business. Despite experiencing bankruptcy during the 2008 financial crisis, he rebounded strongly. Today, he is a serial investor and lender, having invested in over 30 businesses and provided £500m of funding to UK businesses. His journey has transformed him from borrower to lender, and from operator to advisor, using his experience to assist other businesses and entrepreneurs

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