Criticism hurts.  Even the toughest businesspeople bristle at hearing negative feedback about themselves (did you see Donald Trump’s face during Seth Meyer’s roast at the White House Correspondents Dinner?).

A common instinct for entrepreneurs is to gravitate towards people who like your business and brush off the people who don’t.  My best business tip: don’t ignore the people who don’t like your business. Instead, sit down with them, interview them, and understand the ins and outs of what they don’t like about your business idea.  

My business is Urban Girl Squad, the social networking group for women in their 20s and 30s in NYC.  We have 9,000 members and host weekly events that include everything from spa nights and fitness classes to food tastings and cocktail parties. As you might imagine, it is challenging to know if I am consistently meeting the needs of my customer base and not alienating potential customers.

I’ve made it a regular business practice to consistently ask our members and staff what Urban Girl Squad could be doing better.  I recently heard from a regular customer of ours that our events have become too activity-based, no longer leaving enough time for networking.  I verified this concern with a few other people to see if this was an isolated complaint (it wasn’t). As a result, we have worked to change the balance of activities and networking at our events. You’ll now find more networking time built in to Urban Girl Squad’s events, as well as completely new events that are solely for networking. 

Of course, not all criticism you receive will be valid.  Some will be a result of someone’s crappy mood or personality. But if you write off all criticism as such, you’ll miss out on valuable feedback.

How to do it for your own business

1) Start with your team members and staff (they know best of all that you’re doing wrong).  Create an open, friendly environment where your staff is thanked, not blown off or scorned, for offering feedback on ways you can improve.

2) Listen to your customer complaints. There’s often a nugget of truth about your business nestled in the complaint. 

3) Keep your ears open– but don’t jump in– when people are talking about your product or service.  Listen to how people naturally discuss your product or service, for better or worse.

In general, what people are afraid to tell you is often what you need to know about your business.  You can always find someone to tell you that you’re doing a great job (isn’t that what your bff is for?)… but will that help you grow your business?  As an entrepreneur, you inevitably have blind spots.  Ask your customers and staff to give you honest feedback.  Then call your bff to hear all about how great you are.

-Amanda Hofman
Urban Girl Squad
@urbangirlsquad

***This was Best Business Tip #66. Read the other 99 Best Business Tips.***