How to start a business without telling anyone 🤫

When I got accepted to UVA (early decision, of course, because I’m an achiever) my grandmother said, “that’s great, there are lots of men there!” And wouldn’t you know — she was right! And I managed to find and date the WORST one for way too long #achiever.

My grandmother is not the only backseat driver out there. Everyone around you is going to have an opinion about whatever you're doing, and those opinions usually have zero to do with you — their opinions and “feedback” are usually entirely about their own fears and anxieties. In the best cases, the feedback is coming from a place of love, but it’s still 100% annoying.

So unless those people around you are actually experienced in what you’re attempting — in which case you definitely should listen — you need a secret lair in which to build the foundations of your business without your mother-in-law’s comments about her friend’s son who tried something like your idea and now lives under a bridge with three cats.

Here’s how to build your secret business planning bunker:

The internet is where you go with questions. Ask them all. How do you register a trademark? How much should I pay for a logo? Do baby boomers eat vegan things? What’s the target occupancy cost for a bakery? How much do bar stools cost?

Spreadsheets are your new best friend. Unbiased feedback. Endless patience. Set up little models to play with assumptions about your budding business. How many employees will it take to staff a store six days a week for seven hours a day? How much will that cost me each week if I pay a decent wage? How many sweaters do I have to sell to make payroll? A billion? Okay, now play around with your model and figure out how you might be able to make it work.

Your business plan is your pitch audience. Why is your business a good idea? Who is your target customer? How will you reach them? How do you know you'll be profitable? Write out the pitch, add images, include the assumptions and make your arguments. You can write, rewrite, and practice singing it all in a beautiful aria form before anyone asks you to do it in front of an audience.

You can get REALLY far in developing your business without telling a soul. That way, when you finally do tell your MIL, and she’s all “well isn’t there another store already selling that stuff?” You can whip out your business plan, flip to your cute Competitive Matrix chart and say, “SEE FOR YOURSELF, JANET!”