Dealing with the Lack of Support from Friends and Family By Marita Kinney
It’s not uncommon to experience the lack of support from
those who are closet to you. In fact we have all experienced it at some point
in our career. Whenever you started your
business endeavors you were excited and wanted your loved ones to be also. It
doesn’t take long to realize who is truly there to cheer you on. This can be
very difficult to accept. The disappointment of support exceptions can become
extremely over whelming. So what do you
do?
Once you have discovered your non-supportive family and friends,
it’s challenging to prevent it from affecting your relationship with them. Being
around them can feel dreadfully awkward. Wherever you’re passionate about your
career it’s easy to take offense when others don’t understand your vison.
Avoiding these people may seem like the easiest solution, however it may
further strain the relationship. I know some of us can cut off relationships
rather quickly instead of revaluating where we have placed them in our lives.
The reality is that, not all of your family and friends are going to become
your customers, clients, or biggest fans.
Promoting to a warm market may be okay for some people, but
don’t forget that business is business. Identify you’re your target market and
spend your energy there. If some of your loved ones have been identified as
your targeted market, remember that they still have options and or not
obligated to do business with you. Either way, respect their decision. Mixing
business and personal relationships can be far more damaging than their lack of
support, especially if money is involved.
Entrepreneurs are a rare breed and you cannot expect
everyone to understand your way of thinking. Misunderstandings could also be
misinterpreted as rejection. If someone chooses not to support you and your endeavors,
I encourage you to not take it personal. You must always consider the source.
The background of the source is critical.
If you’re doing something that they’re unable to do themselves, often
times they will process that as if you cannot do it either. When it comes to
business, surround yourself if likeminded people. Discuss business related
topics with business savvy people. They can appreciate your creativity and what
you have to offer. The time that you spend trying to convince people to believe
in you, you could be rerouting that energy towards evolving in your field.
I have come to understand that people are in your life for
different reasons. I have certain friends and family members that I can discuss
business with. Whereas others ones I may share another aspect of my life which
involves spirituality, family, entertainment, etc. Your life will go much smoother once you
categorize everyone appropriately. However, after doing so, you may realize
that some people have no place in your life. Those are the people that you want
to reconsider having in your circle of influence. Everyone in our life has a
role to play and everyone’s role is not going to involve your business. Please
remember this does not mean that they do not love you.
Connect with Marita Kinney on Twitter @MaritaKinney and to get more information about products and services visit Marita online at maritakinney.com
Thank you for this post! I just recently decided to branch out on my own as a consultant and I have experienced this from friends more so than family. It's been confusing and disappointing as I sometimes feel that my own girlfriends don't want me to be successful as an entrepreneur. Thanks so much for posting this! I will definitely follow Marita Kinney on Twitter. She has so much wisdom to share. www.marleywrites.blogspot.com
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