I love coffee and cake. Anyone following me on facebook will see that most of my business is done over coffee and cake. Why should that be a problem? Well to me it isn’t. However, there is someone who has a problem with it. That someone , I think, believes I should go suited and booted, clipboard in hand to meet my prospective clients. The truth is, my clients love doing business over coffee and cake. If I were to follow this gentleman’s advice, I wouldn’t be finding my target audience.

I never ceased to be amazed at how often other people know what is best for me and my life.(or think they do!)  In 2010, another gentleman suggested I was stupid for running more than one business (hmmmmmmm let me introduce him to Richard Branson!) and I was crazy for the banter I put on facebook. Well, if I had listened to him and acted on his advice – I wouldn’t be writing this blog today. He clearly wanted to bring me down.  I kindly thanked him and told him I’d be following my own advice. I promptly went out and won a national award. I never lost my self belief but the award confirmed I wasn’t stupid as this gentleman had suggested.

My latest critique not only has issues with me having coffee and cake, he also has problems with me entering or being entered for awards. (and I have won several!) When I won the Mumpreneur award in 2010, I returned to the Isle of Wight determined to use the award to benefit the Island in some way. I set up Wightbuzz, an affordable networking group and used my networking skills to help lots of people who were running their own businesses. Now in it’s third year, Wightbuzz has gone from strength to strength and is  about to deliver many new membership enhancements. There are many enquiries coming in and membership is set to increase rapidly. The awards have raised awareness of the group and the members. How can that be a bad thing? It is an ideal opportunity to maximise the free publicity.

I wonder why some people delight in trying to bring others down. In my case it fell on deaf ears. I have had this sort of thing  happening since I started my first business at 27 and I am now classed as a senior citizen (although not sure what this retirement lark is is all about! as if….. )

I feel sorry for the guy. He clearly hasn’t had much praise in his life. Perhaps he doesn’t like seeing others becoming successful. I am not sure entirely what his motives were. For my part, I thanked him politely for his email and promptly filed it under “no further action”. The funny thing is, instead of bringing me down, it just serves to push my motivation button even harder!! Have you experienced this attitude in your business?

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