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.

Kim Ollherhead

Balancing work and friendships is hard and there are many ways in which this can imply to my business. I have asked my friends and my family to follow my account and like, share and help me grow my account, however few have. I feel like I can actually connect more with “Instagram friends” than “real life” friends at times. Read more>>

Carin Bird

Honestly, it hasn’t been hard to garner support for Unfaulted. When people hear the heartbreaking stories and statistics of those aging out of foster care, it’s near impossible not to be affected in some fashion. Read more>>

Erin Faccenda

I feel it is 100% necessary to ask your friends and family for support. In order for a small business to grow, friends and family members need to help spread the word. Word of mouth is one of the most effective forms of advertising. It costs nothing to support a small business, whether it is liking their business page or sharing a post. It is important to get all the support you need while you are trying to grow your brand. Read more>>

Gabrielle Mann

I feel like we are very lucky to have the friends and family that we do. My husband and I came into this business with a lot of support behind us. It could have never happened without our community. We were able to get our space for the business all due to some incredible mothers- my best friend’s mom, Suzanne Restle, Ryun’s mom, Shellie Lansang, and my mother, Gwen Mann. Read more>>

Angela Douglas

Generally, a passion becomes a career and following the creation of a business, friends and family show support. When we started our travel agency, we already had the desire to explore the world and wanted to share that. We saw that sharing our travels through social media was an amazing way to let others know what travel options were out there. Read more>>

Ava DeRicco

I love asking my friends and family to support my business! They were the very reason I received clients in the first place. I think there are boundaries that should not crossed however. For example, not obtaining their permission for posting on social media. Read more>>