Some scepticism doesn’t harm you and is good for a tuition business, as it keeps you and other business partners in check. But you don’t want to work with people that bring negativity to a business relationship. Someone who is always sceptical and negative about everything will create situations to hold you back. This is something you don’t want in any business, and not in a tuition business. 

“Some people can’t function without negativity because bringing down others makes them feel better.”

Unknown

To paint a picture of pure negativity; my third business partner had a brother, and we got him involved as well. He worked with us as a tutor; and someone who could help at reception, collect money and reconcile it for the end of the day. We needed someone trustworthy, and that’s where he came in. After all, he was the brother of my third business partner, so we were comfortable letting him handle cash. 

Interestingly, we also offered him to be our fourth business partner at the time when we were starting, but I’m glad he didn’t accept the offer. He was always sceptical and negative, especially anything to do with money. Eventually, it was only when he saw that the tuition business was lucrative that he showed interest in investing, but it was too late for him by then; the ship had already sailed away. Thankfully!

I remember he would also try to influence our third business partner (his brother), trying to plant seeds of doubt in his mind. It’s best to be mindful of such negative people. Don’t work with them and certainly don’t involve them as business partners, as they will always throw a spanner in the mix of things in anything you want to try and achieve. They will cause a breakdown in relationships, not only with you but also with others that you work with within the organisation. 

A lot of times, you will find that such people themselves do not have any achievements in life, and can’t see others get ahead of themselves. Subconsciously, they will try and hold you back. They won’t know it, but a combination of their life and personal experience causes them to be this way. When he was working with us, there were also a series of complaints from the students and parents. I remember I had to have some open conversations with my third business partner about his brother, and attitude at the tuition centre. We couldn’t afford to annoy customers and affect the business, especially when we were just starting. These were tough conversations, but something I had to have to avoid any damage to the tuition business in the future. 

When confronted with negative people, always look out for these traits

1. They will resist change and criticise your ideas all the time 
2. They will be difficult to deal with and won’t show any flexibility
3. They will always be hesitant in everything you want to try
4. They will be risk-averse to everything in business
5. They will complain about every situation
6. They will be judgemental and form opinions 
7. They will blame others to protect themselves
8. They’re mostly alone and don’t have support from others
9. They have low self-esteem
10. They hold grudges and like bringing people down

“Stay away from negative people. They have a problem for every solution.”

Albert Einstein, theoretical physicist

Conclusion

Stay away from negative people. They’ll make your working environment and doing business a nightmare, and you don’t want that from a new venture where there will be other challenges and problems to deal with.