They say another word for entrepreneurship is unemployment. This is very true according to your friends and family. They will not understand what you do, so it will be easier for them to say ‘you are between jobs’ or ‘trying to find a job’
In my experience as an entrepreneur, I have had to let go of many friendships and build new friendships. It is not easy but it will happen.
I quit my job back in 2009 and at that time, I did not know what I wanted to do. I was not sure what my passion was at that time but I knew I wanted to run my own business, be my own boss and see at least a million shillings in my account.
There are things I learned and I am still learning, but I want to share with you 5 things to keep in mind when it comes to friends and family
They will not support you
Too bad if this breaks your heart. Most friends want to be associated with friends who say they work at place X and Y. They will not understand what you and therefore will not support you. Understand that you will not have an income for a long time and most of them will encourage you to get a job. The minute they discover that you still want to run a business even after long periods of having no money, they will leave you at it.
You will start avoiding them
Have you ever sat down with friends who just want to talk about boys, clothes and their bad bosses. As an entrepreneur, these are some of the most annoying things you will have to endure. We are wired to talk about solutions, not the problem. We are wired to talk of possibilities and greatness, not petty stuff that waste our time. You will find yourself giving excuses the minute your friends call ask you to have lunch together.
You will enjoy your new friends
No apologies here. I have met new friends who see life in a different light. They want to innovate, inspire lives, be great at what they do and not live a life of complaining. They work hard and they play hard too. Whenever I sit down with my business associates, I feel like I am surrounded by greatness. We encourage each other to push on and settle for the holidays and champagne and by the time you go home, you are eager for the morning to come, to seize the day.
You will stop telling them what you do
They will simply not understand, so why bother telling them? Let them read from the blogs and the newspapers. I told a friends what I do, and her first question was ‘does that thing have money’ . I realized that I have been feeding information to the wrong people. So If I have to talk to them, I limit it to greetings and thanking God for life. Never about my business.
Your true friends will remain
This might be just one friend. Be happy for the one that remained. It’s nothing personal. To me, its business…sometimes its good riddance. When you finally make it, your ex friends will say that they used know you.
Expand your networks with people in your industry, other entrepreneurs and associates. Attend networking events, join a sport, join a club. Fill your weekends with activities that will not make you feel lonely or make you feel like you don’t belong.
Remember, entrepreneurship is a lonely journey and not many people want to take the ride with you.