There are about seven billion people on the planet. Every one of us is different. Every one of us has opinions, tastes, inclinations and preferences.
And every one of us is difficult to please.
If you work hard at marketing your website and your products, you\’ll be able to put them in front of a few thousand of those people. Work really hard and build successful products, and maybe millions will see them.
By the law of averages alone, some of those people aren\’t going to like what you\’ve produced. If the product is good and your marketing well-targeted, most will say they appreciate it. Some will be lukewarm about it.
And a few will hate it.
There are always people who hate what other people have done. Walt Disney might have created one of the most successful companies and some of the best-known brands in the world, but there\’s no shortage of people who say they hate Disney. There are just millions and millions more people who say they love what he did.
The more successful you become, the more criticism you\’ll attract. It\’s inevitable.
What the haters say though isn\’t important. How you react is important.
Your first reaction should be to ask whether they\’re right.
Criticism is an opportunity to learn. Just as there will always be criticism, so there\’s always room for improvement. Hidden among the hate, there might just be a fair point that can make your service even better. That\’s worth looking for. Always look to see if there is a grain of truth.
Often there isn\’t. Behind the criticism that you can find in the comments to your blog posts or the reviews your products receive will be nothing more than envy. You\’ve built something that other people enjoy. They didn\’t build it and they hate you for it.
And that\’s perhaps the best thing you can take from criticism of your own success. When someone cares enough to criticize you, it\’s a great sign that you\’re making a difference. An unfounded criticism is really the best kind of compliment.