A lot of businessmen are admittedly clueless as to how they are supposed to conduct business with close friends. Others completely abandon all intentions and prospects of profit by practically giving away the products and services offered by their business. Some take the other extreme by placing a strict demarcation between their business and their personal lives. Both extremes clearly point out that friendship and business could never mix. However, the truth is that these business people are missing out on an important business truth- everyone needs friends! Friends are necessary even in business… ESPECIALLY in business. By friends, we mean the intimate peers, pals and neighbors you’ve known since you were a kid, mind you; not the associates and colleagues you meet merely for business concerns. Ponder upon the following points and see if they could successfully bridge the gap between doing fruitful business and keeping close ties with your friends.
Make your business known to your friends. Who knows? They could be future customers. They could be working for companies looking to venture into businesses like yours. Make known the capabilities as well as the limitations of your company. That way, they would be able to judge fairly how much a “friends’ price” would cost. Since they’re friends, trust that they would never ask for unreasonable discounts.
Put your friends in the default guest list for the various promotional parties, product launches and other public occasions of your enterprise. Not only is this an excuse for you to get together and have some fun, you could also encourage them to spread the good word about your business and your products.
Keep your social circle intact and satisfied; your business needs all the contacts it can get.
Surround yourself with friends you can trust and they will be there to support you in times when your business gets problematic.