Loneliness
No one believes in me: what do I do?
Separate useful criticism from dismissal, prove it on a small scale, seek out people who know the field and don't let a lack of support become giving up.
bairogonzalez.com team, drawing on Bairo's story · Published
You share the idea and see the polite smile. You talk about the plan and hear "keep your feet on the ground." Even the people who love you seem to doubt. Other people's lack of belief hurts, but it doesn't decide your life, unless you let it.
What to do now
- Separate criticism from dismissal. Some objections are useful: they point to a forgotten cost, a real risk, a customer who doesn't exist. Write those down and answer them. Others are just other people's fear. Say thank you and move on.
- Ask why. When someone says "it won't work," ask for the reason. Sometimes the answer improves your plan. Sometimes it shows the person has simply never seen anything like it.
- Prove it small. Talk convinces few people; results convince many. One paying customer, a working prototype, a sale. A small proof is worth more than a big promise.
- Seek out people who know the field. Family and friends love you, but they don't always know the industry. Look for mentors, people in the field, entrepreneur groups, Sebrae.
- Don't ask permission for everything. Some decisions need your family's agreement, especially when they involve the household's money. Others are yours. Know which is which.
- Nurture self-confidence without sliding into arrogance. Believing in yourself isn't ignoring the data. Keep listening, testing and adjusting.
- If the lack of support has become constant sadness, take care of yourself. Talk to someone you trust. CVV answers at 188.
When it happened to Bairo
Bairo Leandro Gonzalez Martinez's story is made of "it can't be done." He wanted to bring artificial intelligence and augmented reality into the business; people said it wouldn't work. He believed in it, and gave up anyway. Years later, it became a trend.
The next time, with a natural-based cosmetics brand of his own, people said again it wouldn't work. This time he didn't stop. It worked, and natural cosmetics became a trend too.
Later, he says, when he built the foundation of a financial platform for agribusiness, the banks refused to integrate his solution. He used the "no" as ground and went on to build his own infrastructure.
He often recalls that, according to Napoleon Hill, Henry Ford's engineers said the single-block V8 engine was impossible. Ford told them to keep going. In 1932, the car hit the streets.
The path
No one has to believe in you for you to start. People tend to believe afterward, when they see. Bairo learned, the one time he gave up too early, that being right ahead of time doesn't pay the bills, but it shows the eye is true. Keep the useful criticism, prove it small and keep going. Other people's yes usually comes after yours.
Don't let other people's lack of belief become your own. Their opinion is about what they can imagine; your decision is about what you're willing to build. Often the very people who doubted are the ones who later say they always knew it would work. Let them. What matters is that you kept going.