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.

Brianna Lynn

I believe that asking friends and family for support in my business is a natural and important part of entrepreneurship. They are often my first advocates, and their encouragement can be invaluable. However, I think it’s crucial to maintain a balance. While it’s perfectly appropriate to share my work, seek referrals, or ask for feedback, I draw the line at expecting them to promote or purchase my services out of obligation. Read more>>

Jordan Hansen

My family are my #1 supporters. I would not be as successful as I am today if I didn’t have the unlimited support from my parents, siblings, boyfriend, extended family, friends, family friends, and more. My business started out with my dad driving my trailer to every single install. My dad and brothers would help me with the heavy lifting and unloading of all my supplies and equipment. My mom would help me set up the balloons, clean the letters, and perfect each install. 5 hours later, we would all be back to pick everything up. For the first 2 years of my business, my family sacrificed their weekends to support me. My sister would post every single job I did on her social media to promote my business and still does today. Read more>>

Tyenisha Hughes

I strongly believe that your target audience is not your family whatsoever , I will say however your target audience should be your friends in most cases, simply because you get to choose who your friends are versus family is not chosen . Once you start to realize this very early on in your career the better. Most the time your target audience is people you do not know , strangers. I have had alot of success moving out of my city and hometown to servicing complete strangers, who support and show up like no other. Read more>>