10-Step Proper Etiquette For Asking Your Friends To Support Your Business
Most of us on the path of entrepreneurship will at some point need the help of our friends and community to get the word out about a new project or launch.
I used to believe that everyone was as excited about my work as I was! Haha! Well, I found out the hard way that wasn’t true when I launched my first business after leaving corporate.
While some people were receptive and supportive, some of my closest friends took offense in me even emailing them with a launch announcement. I remember feeling deeply heartbroken by some of the responses I received. At the time, I thought I had missed an important page from the playbook of American etiquette… the limiting story I told myself was that unlike in Middle Eastern culture where I grew up, in America, it was not ok to ask your friends for support in business even if you weren’t asking them to buy anything… I was dead wrong!!
Since then, my perspective has shifted drastically; I’ve come to the understanding that curating an effective support system for business is an art form.
In the past two years, I’ve begun cultivating a support system based on regeneration, reciprocity, humility, and mutual consent. Here are some of the key points I’ve learned:
- GIVE that which you wish to…
