When you decide to start your own business, most people will think you are crazy. They’ll ask what do you expect to accomplish. And they wonder if it is just an attempt to get out of the 9-to-5 grind. If a close friend or family member doesn’t offer support when you need it most, that can be a tough pill to swallow. In this article, you will learn 4 Top Reasons Why Friends and Family Don’t Support Your Business and How to Overcome It.
Top 4 Reasons Why They Don’t Support Your Business
1. Jealousy
Let’s face it: jealousy is a real thing and can be much harder to deal with than you’d think. It can be difficult to overcome, and even more so when it comes from someone who means a lot to you. Here are some of the main reasons why people might be jealous of you starting a business:
- They don’t want to see you succeed because it’s not their success.
- They don’t want you to be better than them in any way, especially in areas where they feel inferior (like business).
- Your success represents what they’re missing out on or what they could have been doing if they had chosen another path instead of staying where they are now.
2. They don’t think you have a chance to succeed
Friends and family who don’t support your business are often the ones who have never done it themselves. They’ve never taken the leap and done something they love. It’s easy to look at someone with a dream and think that you know it won’t work out because you haven’t seen it happen before. But here’s the thing: they probably didn’t believe in themselves enough when they were first starting out either.
So what do you do? How can you convince people who don’t support your business? You need to believe in yourself, your product or service, and especially in what makes your business unique from all others.
3. They don’t understand your business.
Remember when people thought the idea of making money from social media was crazy? Now, tons of people have quit their jobs and make more on social media than they ever did working their 9-to-5.
I bring that up to say, one of the biggest reasons your friends and family may not support your business is because they don’t understand it, how it works, or the benefits of it. Just like people didn’t understand how others could use social media as a business to make money.
If this is the case, try explaining things in a way that makes sense for them. If you can’t explain what your company does in a simple way without getting into details, then everyone will struggle with understanding it. You might have to simplify things and explain things more than once until they get it completely nailed down.
4. It’s not stable income like a 9-to-5
Your family and friends might not understand why you’d want something other than a 9-to-5 job that gives you stability and a consistent income. You may even be told that it’s risky or impossible to make a living in your chosen field. But this isn’t about making money—it’s about living an authentic life.
It’s easy for people who work 9-to-5 jobs with benefits and a pension plan to tell others what they should do with their lives because they don’t understand what their loved ones are going through. Unfortunately, this lack of understanding can lead to criticism and judgment when someone tells them they want more out of life than just earning enough money so they can retire comfortably someday (if they’re lucky).
How to overcome lack of support for your business
Don’t take it personal
Many of us were raised to believe that to be “Successful” you have to go to college, get a degree, and find a traditional 9-to-5 job. The reality is that’s not the only road that leads to success.
Unfortunately, that way of thinking is the only mindset some people know. So, it may have never crossed their mind to become an entrepreneur to build generational wealth and leave a legacy.
However, their way of thinking shouldn’t impact you. After all, it’s your life and you only get one so don’t let someone else’s fears stop you from going after your goal of starting a business. The worst thing that can happen is that you’ll live to regret not taking a chance on pursuing your dreams.
Let go of expectations
The minute you set expectations for your family and friends to support your business, it will almost always lead to disappointment. Naturally, we think our friends and family will support us, only to find out they don’t. And when they don’t meet your expectations by purchasing your products or services, it may lead to resentment.
Honestly, friends and family are usually not your ideal target audience anyway. When a strategy is put in place for your business, the right clients will come along and love what you have to offer.
Don’t talk about it
It’s natural to feel excited about starting a business that you just want to tell everyone around you. Trust me, I get it! But I caution you to think before you speak.
Here’s what I mean…
You have to be aware of the things people say around you, whether it’s about you or anyone else. If they talk in a manner that is always negative and discouraging, even if it’s some of the time, Watch Out! Because those are the type of people that will try to talk you out of the goals you have for yourself. You do not need that kind of negative energy in your life.
Surround yourself with like-minded people
If you want to find people that will support you in your business, look outside of your circle of friends and family. According to HuffPost, your biggest supporters are more likely to be strangers because they are less judgmental because they don’t know your past and have the same interests as you.
You can find people like yourself by attending networking events, through Facebook groups, and more! They are more likely to understand what you are going through in your business and encourage you every step of the way.
Don’t give up
I hope you enjoyed reading my post about 4 Top Reasons Why Friends and Family Don’t Support Your Business and How to Overcome It! This article was inspired by seeing so many entrepreneurs being disappointed because their friends and family, those who are closest to them don’t support their business. It can be disheartening but don’t let that stop you from starting your business.
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