There is often more than one right answer, and this seems to be particularly true for the question of whether folks should lean on family and friends for support with the brands. Your circumstances, relationships and other factors can determine what’s right for you – but we wanted to get a conversation going on the topic as it’s something that comes up often in our chats with entrepreneurs and creatives in the community.

Jasmin Pettie

I think it’s very important to ask friends and family for help and to support your business and creatives endeavours especially when you’re first starting out. It can be nerve wracking for sure, but it’s really important when you’re first trying to get establish in an industry to have that support. It doesn’t have to be anything major. It can be as simple as asking your friends and family to follow the social media accounts for your new business. Read more>>

Darin Davis

Asking friends and family to support your small business sounds like a simple concept but in my case it’s not. Once I started posting photos with A-list celebrities and famous social media influencers friends and family started to reach out more, repost my photos and help spread brand awareness. Prior to that I would ask those same people to follow my photography page, buy my art work or introduce me to whoever you know that’s building a brand or in the creative industry. Read more>>

Robbie Samuels

I’ve independently published three books that have collectively received over 600 5-star Amazon reviews and reached #1 Best Seller in 29 categories across the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia. To achieve this, I’ve built large book launch teams to get at least 100 Amazon reviews by the launch day and create urgency around reading my book. Why? Because friends and colleagues are better able to refer me if they are familiar with my work. Read more>>

Samantha Norwood

I feel as though business owners get somewhat offended when friends & family don’t support their businesses but what I’ve learned is that no one in your circle is obligated to purchase anything from you. You have to learn to not take it personal. Read more>>