In four months time, I’ve realized that building a business and raising a child are incredibly similar.

Speaking from experience, with a child, it’s nearly impossible for parents to share candid photos of their children and daily activities without being chided for choosing an unsafe carseat, or being schooled on dangers of certain “unnecessary” vaccines.

In business, someone will always know better than you. Those detractors will consistently spout discouraging “wisdom,” supposedly earned from many years of hard work, though few can back it up. Most are busybodies who, lacking the entrepreneurial drive, will never create value. Instead, they belittle others in a futile effort to cover their meddling.

Both groups of individuals will quickly devour your energy, if given a chance. Your goal is to ignore them. Remember, Your Facebook wall isn’t a public forum. Neither is your email inbox. You aren’t obligated to listen.

It’s Friday afternoon, and the weekend is near. Stop and think for a moment about whose opinion matters most. Maybe it’s you and your spouse, or perhaps a close circle of advisors — those individuals matter, because they understand the struggle and are invested in your success. It’s tough to silence the haters, but you must.

Everyone else is irrelevant.