^{This article was originally posted on February 3rd, 2015, but it mysteriously vanished, most likely sacrificed during one of our many hosting migrations. It was Reposted from an article (see footnote for link) I wrote on reddit.com in 2014.}  

Don’t Tell Anyone

Seriously… don’t.

When I first started Dallas Maids, I didn’t tell anyone what I was doing. Not friends. Not family. No one. Oh, there were rumors, of course. When people don’t have information, they create their own. One friend even joked, “What are you building, some kind of naughty site?”

And frankly… that right there is exactly why I kept it quiet. Not because I had anything to hide—but because I wanted to avoid negativity.

Why Silence Works

People are incredibly susceptible to suggestion. Now, you might think you’re strong-headed (and maybe you are), but what others say still seeps in. Quietly. Subconsciously. And over time, it shapes your decisions more than you realize.

Negative input is especially powerful. It doesn’t just bounce off, it lingers, drives deep into your subconcious mind, it compounds, and it starts influencing your actions. So I made a decision early on:

No outside opinions until I had something real.

No one telling me to get a “real job.”
No one questioning why I left a promising tech career… to clean houses.

And I’m incredibly glad I did, because starting Dallas Maids (and my other businesses) turned out to be one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.

Avoid Negative People

…like the plague.

Along the way, I’ve had to defriend a few people in real life. Not dramatically; just quietly.

Negativity is contagious.

And here’s the uncomfortable truth: Some people, without being concious of it, don’t want you to succeed more than they have. It’s not usually intentional. It’s not malicious in a conscious way. It’s just… human nature mixed with environment, conditioning, and a bit of ego (psychologically speaking).

They’ll question you. Doubt you. “Just be realistic.” And if you’re not careful, that voice becomes your voice.

Negative People Are Everywhere (Yes, Even Reddit)

You’ve seen it. Post something online and out comes the random negativity. Completely unwarranted, sometimes almost impressive in how unnecessary it is.

Quick experiment: Click their profile.

You’ll usually find a pattern. Some people are just… committed to being negative. It’s basically a hobby. So, don’t take it personally.

1. It’s them, not you.
2. Be grateful they’re not in your day-to-day life.

You could avoid places like Reddit entirely… but there’s value here too. That’s why I’m here: I’ve been fortunate to know the freedom of having your own business and want to share my experience with you because you deserve to have this, too. We are lucky to experience this sliver of time between two great eternities, so make the most of it! Experience and do good.

Ending tangent. Let me get back on track…

Back on Track…

So don’t tell anyone when starting a business, continue de-friending negative people and befriending positive people, and learn a little about psychology. Lee Iacocca attributed his success to his psychology degree. Understanding people and motivating them are key. I’d recommend his autobiography, too, good book.

This advice is my own derived from what I had known of psychology. It is one of my secrets on how I started my first business and having it wildly successful. Strangely, it’s advice absent from any business related book I’ve read at the time, though in the May, 2009 issue of Psychological Science is an article confirming my “don’t tell anyone” strategy I used in 2004: http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/ulterior-motives/200905/if-you-want-succeed-don-t-tell-anyone.

I hope this helps you, especially if you are just starting out. Know that you already have everything within you to do this. And each day you are becoming better and better.

Related articles:

• How I started a Cleaning Business
• Podcast 016: Cleaning Up Your Business!
• Reddit Article, DON’T TELL ANYONE! My Secret Advise When Starting a Business
• Dealing With Negative People When Starting a Business

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What is your first thought when you drive pass a mansion with a meticulously manicured lawn and a couple exotic cars parked in the driveway? Just take a moment. And. Ponder… Was it along the lines of “Who did those people scam to get that!?” or was it “Good for them! It’s awesome that they can do that for them and their family”; was it positive or negative.

Don’t feel bad if it was negative because our minds are programmed from childhood to view money as bad. Sayings such as “Money doesn’t grow on trees”, “Money is the root of all evil”, “Money doesn’t buy happiness” permeate our society. These are the mottos of the monetarily mediocre. Next time you hear someone say “money doesn’t buy happiness”, ask them if they have lots of money. What do you think the answer will be? So the first step is to reprogram your subconscious mind to smash mediocrity and recognize money rocks!

Reprogram Your Subconscious.

Consciously, you may say to yourself you want to have a lots and lots of mullah. BUT if the subconscious believes the buck is bad then it will sabotage your money-making energies. Feelings of doubt and thoughts of “this business idea won’t work” or “I don’t have what it takes” surfaces and freezes you before taking that first step. The subconscious is not evil [pans over to villain with a devilish chuckle calmly petting cat]; it simply does not want you to do what it perceives as bad. So how do you change its perception?

There are many psychology-based books that are dedicated to reprogramming your mind. Read them. Anyway, one of the universal attributes among all the autobiographies I have read are great people love to read. So develop your desire to dive into books and be more successful. Reading is enjoyable, it enriches your life. Barbara Bush once said she can’t imagine life without reading. So as you seek self-improvement through reading let’s talk about the easiest way to attain 100% financial freedom.

Start a Business.

The easiest way to become rich is to own a scalable, self-sustainable company, developing policies and procedures so that your people will know what to do when you’re absent. Otherwise, if it cannot survive without you then you don’t own a business, you own a job.

And that is just blaaah! There are many books that teach you how to develop a system, policies and procedures, etc that allow a business to run smoothly. So how do you find an awesome idea? Glad you asked!

Have a Failsafe Idea.

Having a business was what I wanted. I wanted it SO bad that it became ingrained in my mind. My now subconscious had a goal and started producing ideas per its own schedule: driving in my car, waking up in the middle of the night, or sitting on the toilet (pardon the visual), the ideas that unexpectedly spring forth are the best because your subconscious has been analyzing the data behind the scenes, making numerous calculations, finishes, and then floats the fabulous ideas to your consciousness. It’s like having your own personal supercomputer do the work.

After a year or so I had a long list of good ideas. And the way to have a great idea is to have many ideas. Looking at the list I quickly zeroed on ideas I felt would work. Then the idea I KNEW would work popped out: Maid Service. You must have the FEELING that you know it can’t fail for feelings are the subconscious’ way to communicate with you. Using your subconscious makes life so much easier.

At that point, I quit my job so I had no crutch to fall back on and jumped in 100%. It was sink or swim. I swam. It was the BEST business decision I ever made. I was finally free…

Freedom!

It’s the freedom that makes you happy; money is just a nice side benefit. Like many I’ve talked to here: I wasn’t after the money. Rather I wanted to build a good business while being free of someone other person determining my livelihood, whether I was promoted, or even had a job (now that’s risk!).

Having good intentions, knowing the universe will provide all that’s needed, that you already have all within yourself to succeed, and every day you are getting better and better; this is the right mindset for success. Positive energy.

Negative Energy Sucks.

Negative energy sucks out motivation. At first no one knew what I was doing, not my family, not my friends, no one, until the business was established. I kept things hushed because people would discourage me, ask why give up a “safe” career to mop floors (with retrospective realization, there was no risk). Even after word got out, word came in such as “You should sell the maid service and find a real job” or “are you still doing that house cleaning stuff?”.

You can be the most confident person though humans are highly suggestible. What others say sink into the subconscious so protect it sacredness. You need to set consciously your own goals less others do it for you. As time went by I defriended pessimistic friends. I seek optimism. Today it’s the same with my businesses: negative, nasty customers are fired, resulting in less stressed, more productive people and a stronger businesses.

Life is good. Money is good.

You deserve to have freedom. I hope this helps and encourages you to take action to achieve your dream. You are blessed to experience this sliver of life in our little corner of the universe between two inconceivable infinities. Make the most of it! Henry Ford once said, “Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t – you’re right”

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