I love my family and friends.

And I’m sure you do, too.

BUT…

(And if you’re reading this email on a computer screen in front of any of them, maybe get them to leave the room).

They can also be a right pain.

Especially when you’re embarking on a business project.

Because suddenly, they feel that they can freely give their advice or tell you that what you’re doing is wrong or “never going to work”.

Now, that’s fine if your uncle, cousin or next-door neighbour is a bona fide entrepreneur who has created their own successful online business.

But I’ll bet that’s not the case.

It’s usually Uncle John, who worked in a bank for 30 years… or cousin Meera, who’s a school teacher… or nephew Jack who studied for a degree in marketing… or your neighbour who says they read a lot of self-help books.

The people who tend to dispense their wisdom tend to be those who just assume that they know the score.

Even if they’ve set up a business at some point in their lives, they don’t really know about course creation, information publishing or digital marketing in 2022 and beyond.

But they’ll give you their opinion, all the same!

When you casually mention that you’re creating a course-based home business, they’ll chip in with their thoughts.

Sometimes those include words of encouragement…

But often, what you’ll hear is scepticism.

“This sounds dodgy.”

“There’s too much competition.”

“I can’t imagine you’ll make much money.”

“I knew someone who tried a home business and ended up broke.”

“Are you sure you’re the right person for this? You’re so shy!”

“Why would anyone pay for an online course?”

“What if it all goes wrong?”

Quite often, this unsolicited advice is well-meaning.

In their heads, they are nobly trying to save you from failure and humiliation.

They’re like the wise parent schooling the child.

But they often don’t know what they’re talking about, not really.

And their negative comments can do more damage than good.

They can demotivate you… fill you with self-doubt… and make you give up on your goals.

It can make you feel embarrassed and ashamed… or even resentful.

Believe me, I’ve been there!

Some family members were aghast when I left my well-paid publishing job to create Canonbury Publishing.

I went from being in a smart office on the South Bank of the Thames, with staff and colleagues to help me, and paid holidays and sick days… to sitting in a cramped home with a screaming new-born baby, trying to get together my very first information product from scratch!

Some family members thought I was throwing away my career…

Others thought I was going to risk losing my home…

And some wondered just what on earth would make ANYONE buy the product I was creating.

Ultimately, I had to learn how to smile politely and deflect their questions.

And here’s why I think this happens…

People have outdated ideas of how things really work

A lot of people are stuck in the past when it comes to home enterprises.

They think about ‘get rich quick’ schemes and ‘biz opps’ from the 80s and 90s and assume that every home enterprise idea is a scam or a rip-off.

They also assume that to start a successful business on your own requires financial acumen, entrepreneurial flare, a large upfront investment of capital and a lot of risk.

And that the best way to get on in life is to work hard at a job and climb a career ladder.

But they don’t understand that side hustles, second incomes, freelance gigging and home businesses are fast becoming THE NORM.

One in four Britons are now running a side income, and that includes 27% of the over-55s.

There are now over 2 million freelancers in Britain’s gig economy.

And 2.9 million businesses are being run from entrepreneurs’ homes in the UK right now.

So contrary to what many people believe, home business plans and side hustle projects are not ‘pie-the-sky’.

In fact, for many people, they are ‘bread and butter’: essential forms of income.

What’s more, your friendly critics may not have read up on the many case studies of ordinary people who are successfully creating courses from home.

Like my clients and students…

Terry who has generated over 7 figures in sales from his love of charting!

Amanda, who made 6 figures sharing her step-by-step system for success on eBay

And Rizwana who created her first course to show people how to make female Shalwar Kameez outfits…she sold 51 courses in her first week!

So stick to your guns!

And when your loved ones ask about your course creation project, don’t feel the need to over-share the details.

After all, they don’t have expertise in what you are doing, no matter how many times they say they’ve ‘been around the block’.

If they ask you about it, say it’s going well and then ask them how they are doing!

And try not to bring up your course plans in situations where you might be ganged up on, like at a party, work event or gathering.

If you want good, solid, reliable feedback and advice, seek out people who have actually done it.

Find experts in your chosen area of interest who know what they’re talking about.

That way, the feedback you get will be relevant and not ill-informed, prejudiced or out-dated.

As I say, we love our friends and family, and they mean well.

But they’re not always right!