Haters gonna hate.
We spend our days establishing goals and plans to realise our business dreams, and then someone says something negative about us online and it sends us into a spin. The way we react is key. Whether we understand why a person (or troll) has said what they have said or not, here are seven points to consider how you should manage your reaction:
Point 1: Focus on business. Don’t give negative haters your time or credit. Don’t acknowledge them and certainly don’t engage with them – you empower them when you do that. Focus on your own goals and business and keep on keeping on.**The only time you need acknowledge the attacker is if they have a genuine concern for a service you offer. In this instance you would reply politely once, professionally, to request a conversation offline to resolve the issue.
Point 2: Expect them. You’ve been noticed, so you must be doing something right. Haters and/or negative people come from a place of jealously or envy and probably take your success as a growing concern for them. Remember Point 1!
Point 3: Take heart. Remember the Tall Poppy syndrome? Attacks online are a sign that you are (generally) really good at what you do, so remember Point 2 as someone probably wants to knock you down or undermine your business. For the attacks hiding behind online anonymity of a fake profile, remember Point 1!
Point 4: Don’t sweat it. Not everyone is going to like you… well maybe if you are Richard Branson we get it. But, OK, would you like to be the next Donald Trump or Kanye West or a Kardashian? All are enormously successful however many people don’t like them. The people who you will do business with are the ones you need to focus on.
Point 5: Be happy. Be successful. Stay true to your own sense of being and take care of yourself, including your mental health. Yes, negative attacks can hurt, but if you let it affect you, it will affect your business, and then they win. Live well. It’s the best revenge of all. Show them how happy you are on the path that you have chosen.
Point 6: Welcome criticism. Unemotionally accept what they are saying as honest feedback of your business. Get a second opinion from someone you trust. Is there good reason for the negativity? Sometimes it can actually be like free advice. After all, you are not perfect. Use a negative comment to check and make sure there’s not a grain of truth to what the attacker is saying. If there is, fix it and quietly move on. Do not give him/her credit!
Point 7: Stay true. Move forward. Be calm. Believe in what you are doing. Do not be derailed or lose focus. Remember Point 1 always. Keep on keeping on.
Charlie-Helen Robinson 
I love it. I just wish I read it a week ago!
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Yes, me to Ali. But you have now and you have done well under exceptional circumstances ie the #safires
Keep on keeping on I say! All strength to you xx
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Negativity can often come from misunderstandings (perhaps even ignorance) and with social media this misunderstanding can spread like a disease faster than it can be controlled. It’s hard to ignore that even when jumped upon and “solved” the damage to a business can be irreversible. Yes there is nothing that can really be done to alleviate this happening 100% and is what I find (even though it is rare) the hardest to get over.
Most work hard to build a glowing reputation and find it necessary to spend even more time promoting the good just to keep up. What is worse is when competitors “get away” with practices that I find abhorrent, seemingly as they care more about profiting and turnover than any individual.
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Truth Bill. Misinformations , for whatever reason , seem to go viral quicker … the old nosey neighbour scenario , the person who has no life , or simply immaturity will have them jump on any old bandwagon. We will never stop HOW people behave, we just need to remember HOW WE REACT. That’s the key.
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