Hearing that hurt more than having teeth pulled, but it was for the good of humanity. It made me realize that most people refrain themselves from giving you negative feedback because they want to support you. If you have any relationship with the person you're asking feedback from, they'll find good things to say about your business idea, even if it's a lard of crap. As an entrepreneur, it's your job to get them out of this comfort zone, telling you the brutal truth.

Not only are people too nice when it comes to getting feedback on our business ideas, but many of us sub-consciously seek out "constructive advice" from people who we know are going to give us positive feedback. When someone compliments our idea, it's tempting to move onto getting more "constructive feedback" from other friends who we know will pat us on the back.

When starting a new company, you have the entire entrepreneurial community on your side. "Your idea is fantastic, and you should ignore all of the naysayers!" But I'm going to suggest something different: Instead of ignoring them, talk to as many of them as possible, and figure out why your business could potentially fail. By doing so, you'll be able to anticipate pitfalls that you can then account for. Not to mention, you'll be better able to sway the minds of people who would otherwise be skeptical of you and your idea.

People are too nice. Friends and colleagues will praise you for your entrepreneurial ambition, even if they sub-consiously think your idea sucks. I speak from experience -- when a good friend of mine pitches a business idea to me, I'm tempted to think only about the positives. It's my friend, so I want to uplift his or her sprits! But upon greater thought, I realize how flawed the business is, and I wish my entrepreneur friend knew what I thought.

I've been working on a stupid business idea for the past few weeks, and I've been so pumped about it after getting positive feedback from most of the people I talk to. But just this week, I pitched the idea to my mom. As a successful entrepreneur, I thought she'd be able to give good constructive feedback. And "constructive feedback" she gave. Within 10 seconds, she was able to give me a dozen reasons for why my business idea is flawed, and for why I lack needed experience to see it through.

I thought three things: 1) "Wow, my idea sucks", 2) "Wow, I'm a failure for an entrepreneur", and 3) "Wow, my mom's doing a fricken good job at convincing me not to drop out of college". I cried my brains out from thoughts of being a failure, then recovered with newfound knowledge on how to actually improve on my business. And of course, with renewed motivation to prove naysayers (like my mom) wrong.

Nobody wants to hear how much their idea sucks, and that's because most naysayers are shitty at providing constructive criticism. The last time my mom criticized my entrepreneurial abilities, we were driving to the airport. I remember wanting to jump out of the car rather than to hear her tear apart my dreams. I told my mom, "Why do you hate me so much?!" As an entrepreneur, you probably understand that having someone tell you that your idea sucks is analogous to being made fun of in middle school. You feel like you're hot shit, and then moments later, you realize that you're a loser who didn't know any better.

So suck it up. The best criticism acts like a slap in the face, and you realize that you're dreaming stupidity by thinking that you and your business is great. Maybe I'm a masochist, but I like it when my friends (and mom) tell me the fundamental flaws behind my business. As a smart entrepreneur, drag your friends to their feet and have them offer legitimate reasons for why your business could fail. With a sense of humor in all of this, you'll ultimately be a better entrepreneur, with answers for everyone who questions the purpose of your company's existence.