If you are a new entrepreneur, if you are just publishing your books or starting your own business, I want to congratulate you! I want to tell you; you will do well and go far. I want to tell you; you are brave and beautiful.
But I also want to warn you:
start a business that is not dependent only on the people you know personally to be successful.
One of the best decisions I made in the past 2yrs was to go out and network with people face to face without worrying whether they believed exactly as I did or worrying about what people would think of me.
Only depending on the people who know you personally to support your business can leave you doubtful and broke because there are people who will project their fears and limitations onto you. This means that once you’ve moved beyond those limitations, once you’ve elevated, these people abandon you because you no longer fit within the box they mentally created for you.
There’s a meme circulating that says:
This is all the truth. Most of the people who will continuously support you will eventually become like family. They will be all the wonderful people you meet along the way who will root for you harder than anyone you’ve known personally. Social media is cool, but there’s an entire world outside of the internet.
When you are running a business, the people you know, including relatives, are the icing on the cake. They are the ones in your corner cheering you on and going “Yaass, sis yaass,” or “yams bro!” They are the people there to support you no matter what and we all need some of that encouragement! But we also need longevity in our business which can only come from consistent financial support and there are so many people in the world willing to pay you for your knowledge not just like your posts.
Author Tip: Take the time to discover who your book or business is for specifically and target your content to those people. This is called a target audience, and it helps you to focus on the group of people most interested in your content so that your book, product, or service doesn’t stop selling after your family and friends have bought it.
The PBS Blog 
You absolutely right because depending only on people you know is nice at the same time not because they tend to mix your personal relationship with business which is not doing any justice to the business so like you say it is best to not relay on people you know but on your clientele which is anyone who is beneficial to your business.
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Yep. It’s about the importance of networking, not being afraid to step outside the box, go out and meet new people.
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At the beginning of blogging, writing short stories, stuff for Nursing magazines, etc… I relied on family and friends for moral support and feedback. It got frustrating to meet up with friends I hadn’t seen in a while and mention “writing” or “my blog” only to have them say “Oh, you have a blog?” . Agghh – for 6 years. And yes, I have links on my Facebook. And I’ve posted when things are published.
Now, I’m kind of happy about the scenario. People that don’t even know me comment on my posts, congratulate me! My two worlds are becoming separate, and it’s okay. I’m still writing.
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I’m so glad you get it! Family will always be family but depending on them to support our writing business is a huge no-no. And it’s not personal either but networking outside that family circle is important.
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This came at such a perfect time. I am looking into starting my own business and I’m wary of it just becoming a one hit thing instead of something that can sustain itself for a long period or time. Networking sounds like a great remedy to this thank you 🌷
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You’re welcome hun. The good thing about today’s technology is that you can network on and offline so it‘s not even just about depending on having to show up all the time to make money. The most important thing is to remember that good things take time so it will start off slow but if you‘re consistent and loyal enough to the vision, over time you will see results. Just don‘t limit yourself.
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Thanks for saying this. I always have a hard time when people we know and expect to support us don’t. I am learning to get out of that box I put myself in.
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I understand completely. It’s an emotional challenge because the people close to you are supposed to be there more than anyone else. However, the reality of doing business is not to expect this. I don’t know if it’s because they do know us so well and can’t see us as business people as much as a stranger will (because they are knowledgeable of our flaws, eg.). In any event, I’ve learned the hard way this dependency can damage my business. If I didn’t step outside my immediate circle idk where I’d be.
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