Bill Morrow - What to do when people pooh-pooh

While some of these pooh-poohers are well-meaning folk who want nothing but the best for you, others will shoot down a business idea just for the fun of it.

The art of being a successful entrepreneur is to remain focused and driven, even in the face of adversity.

Since there are many types of pooh-pooher in the world and varying levels of merit to be conferred upon their opinions, a short guide to managing the naysayers in your life may come in handy as you pursue your entrepreneurial passions.

1. The casual pooh-pooher - The casual pooh-pooher is a bit of an enigma. Because his or her opinions are often given in throwaway comments, it can sometimes be difficult to determine whether or not these criticisms of your business idea are of a genuine nature or simply random nonsense to be ignored. Listen carefully, or you might miss them-and just because the comment was offered in a casual manner doesn't mean that it holds any less weight. This type of critic might only be trying to be subtle or to spare your feelings. Business ideas have a way of making themselves very at home in our imaginations and all comments, even the casual ones, should be considered for the helpful information that they may contain.

2. The family, or friend, pooh-pooher - The family member or friend who pooh-poohs your business idea presents a dual dilemma. On the one hand, those who are close to you may offer judgements and criticisms that are based more on their personal knowledge of you than on the merits of your business idea. On the other hand, these are the people who care about you and want the best for you-therefore, if they honestly believe that a business idea is not up to snuff, they are likely not to hesitate to offer their opinion. In either case, criticisms that come from family or friends should be filtered to let through only those that have valid objections to your business idea and to discard those that are based on preconceptions about you as an individual. Of course, the one exception to this is when family and friends have a valid point to make about your ability to run with your business idea.

3. The serial pooh-pooher - No one is safe from the naysaying antics of the serial pooh-pooher. This wily individual lives to pooh-pooh every business idea that comes his or her way and to put others, and their ideas, down at every opportunity. While there may be a hidden gem somewhere in the midst of his or her pessimistic ramblings, the bulk of these should be ignored.

4. The professional pooh-pooher - All would-be entrepreneurs should take heed of the advice of a professional pooh-pooher. If you are given an opinion by someone who understands your sector, who has owned his or her own business, or who offers his or her skills to those in your sector, that experience makes the opinion worthy of your time and attention. Whether good or bad, everything that comes from the professional pooh-pooher deserves very careful consideration.

The art of being a successful entrepreneur is to remain focused and driven, even in the face of adversity, while balancing your steadfast determination with the ability to recognise valid information encased in the opinions and wisdom of others. Opinions regarding your business idea will never be lacking-whether they come from your mum, a shareholder, or a professional in the field. Becoming a successful entrepreneur will hinge, at least partially, on your ability to consider each opinion, extract the useful information while discarding the rubbish, and move forward with your business idea to bring your dream to fruition.

If you are launching a new business and would like the opinion of others on whether it is likely to be a success, there is no greater validation than to gain the funding-and possibly the business advice-of an Angel investor who is prepared to put his or her own money on the line to back your business idea.

Bill Morrow is the founder of angel investors' network Angels Den.