What’s your view on asking friends and family to support your brand? We asked members of the community to open up and share their views on this controversial topic. Check out some highlights below.

Jessica Garcia-Abello

This was probably the most challenging thing for me to do… I don’t like to ask for help and I love staying in my comfort zone, so when the day came for me to get out there, show what I was doing and ask for a share or a like it was really hard and probably delayed a lot of business opportunities for me. But I can honestly say that along the way I have found the most amazing, loving, and supporting friends and family members. Read more>>

Nicholas Marque

Many entrepreneurs get “hung up” on whether or not their family and friends will support them or not when starting their business. I challenge entrepreneurs to reimagine what support from their “circle of network” looks like. Read more>>

Jackson Monks

Having people always in your corner to help you get to the next level is something that is important. Your friends and family are great resources who will help you when you need them to. Don’t be afraid to reach out and ask for help. I promise it helps out in the long run! Read more>>

Sandra Barker McIntosh

I have learned that asking for support from friends and family is a common way to kickstart a business, but setting boundaries is essential to avoid straining your relationships. It’s okay to inform them about your business and ask for their support, such as sharing your posts on social media, attending your launch event, or referring your business to others interested. Read more>>

Shamara Jackson

When it comes down to having a business and running a business, we all would like support. I had to learn the hard way that the support we are looking for is not just going to happen. I don’t believe the saying people support popularity, I believe people support the ones that put the work in. The harder you work or what you want and the more you are showing others how hard you are working the support will just naturally come. Read more>>

Sabrina Harding

When I had the idea to start Yellow Plane Branding, I knew I needed support to get this started. I reached out to a longtime friend who is a Stay at home mother, and she jumped at the opportunity to get her creative juices flowing. From the start, she has been there to help design my branding and help me define my voice. She has also helped me with client design requests and artwork execution. she has been my rock through this, and I couldn’t have got this far without her by my side. Read more>>

Mark King

I have heard several stories of entrepreneurs not getting much support from friends and family, but my story is different. My family is one of the main reasons I decided to start my business. My family saw a hobby I was “good at” and pushed me to take it to the next level. I am so blessed to have such amazing friends and family that support my business. Their support comes without me asking. Read more>>

Lindsay Doherty

When I first started in real estate, Michele Gwin, my team leader asked me to put together a list of 50 people that I knew that I could call to talk to you about real estate. At first I was so hesitant to put people on there and to start having conversations and reaching out to them because I didn’t want to bother anyone. I grew to learn and have grown to learn that people respect genuine and honesty individuals and that’s what I was being. Read more>>

Andrea Jenkins

When I first started my business I expected everyone I know to bring their fur babies to me. Well a few supported my business, I had more support from strangers than from friends.I would become disappointed expecting them to support. Now I don’t ask friends (my family brings their fur babies to me lol ) to support and it’s ok. Read more>>