I am not a negative person, so let me explain.

I am so thankful for social media forums where I can seek support from fellow entrepreneurs. What makes me sad, however, is when I see business owners seeking support in situations like this:

• Someone is copying my product. Can I call them out on my Facebook page?
• I have an unhappy customer. Can I refuse a refund?
• The marketplace doesn’t recognise my efforts. Can I tell everyone how low my margins so they appreciate my product more?

I am not saying your business and offerings are not worthy of defending. They are. But defending it – without coming across as a jerk – is vital to your business’ longevity and your sanity.

Is your business life is being dominated but one or all of the four personalities below?

 

Secretive Sally

Do you keep your business a secret from others in case they steal your idea?

It is very important to love your business idea, but in the end there are very few unique developments that would be at risk of being copied. I also have faith that those you do tell would not be in a position to steal your idea.

Secretive Sally will potentially miss out on word-of-mouth marketing and market information.

 

Petulant Peter

Do you rear up any time anyone offers you business advice? Do you get frustrated by people telling you how to improve the quality of your product? Do you want to scream when someone says your product is too expensive. You might be slipping into Petulant Peter mode and could well be missing out on valuable feedback which could strengthen your business offerings.

No filter Fraulein Frida

A close relative to Peter, Fraulein Frida will snap at anyone who comes near her business. She will angrily defend her corner and bring up all your faults in doing so. Ultimately, Frida will not gain repeat business as people are too scared to approach her business.

Blinkered Bill

Sometimes you can become so in love with your products or services that you don’t realise that things have changed – your customers are finding new places to hang out, and there are products out there which are offering the same as you for cheaper. Bill risks losing relevance in this fast paced market.

 

Sally, Peter, Freulein Frida and Bill have taken over my business. What now?

It is natural to feel you are the expert in your business and to quickly dismiss feedback and new trends. How can you banish these guys from your business to ensure your future success? I’m afraid that is a question to be answered in the next post…