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.

GG Jeans

When I first decided to start my brow business, I reached out to my family and friends first. I also posted on Facebook that I was looking for brow models and asked if I could do their brows for free so that I could start building my portfolio of before and after pictures of my work. I would say majority of them accepted my offer but I also had people who weren’t interested. I would go to different events in Atlanta and pass out my business cards and flyers to attract new business. Read more>>

Sunny Smith

As an entrepreneur, I understand how challenging it can be to enter into something unfamiliar. Many entrepreneurs expect their families to understand their vision and purchase their products and/or services. Unfortunately, the hard truth is that our families aren’t required to purchase from us or promote our businesses. The tough pill to swallow is that a majority of your family and friends may not fall in your target audience anyway. It’s much better to market your business to your true community and audience. Read more>>

Sensei Chop

I personally don’t ask or expect friends and family to support my business. Support can be a variety of things like purchases, word of mouth, etc. but my friends and family are just that…friends and family. I have no expectation for them to be my customers, investors or promo/marketing team. Some business owners tend to think their company is failing due to lack of support from those close to them but in reality it’s failing because they don’t have a clear idea of who their actual customers are. Read more>>

Madison Hahn

One of the hardest parts of starting my own business was having to be my own employer, employee, staff, support system & marketer. Advocating for myself felt weird and uncomfortable, and I hated the concept of self-promoting. However, I also hated asking my friends or family for help of any kind. I didn’t want them to feel pressured to support me or my business, and I was determined to do it all on my own. After a few years into turning my stained glass hobby into a business, I realized it was okay to ask for help, and that my family & friends truly believed in me and wanted to support me. Read more>>