Support Your Friends: It Helps The Progress

By Jenise Jackson
Blog Content Contributor

Everyone is pretty much guilty of supporting celebrities that we do not know on a personal level. We go out and purchase their albums, support their clothing lines, or whatever the case may be because we feel it is our duty as fans to do so. What about our close friends that are working towards building their own businesses? Why is it that a lot of us do not support the people close to us, but the opposite for the celebrities we idolize?

We are living in times where it is easier for the average individual to start a business or a brand on their own. However, beginning those startup ventures can be the hardest part. It makes it a little harder when the people closest to you do not make an effort to support your come-up. Honestly, coming from my own experience, it means the world to know that a friend is supporting whatever that I am engaging in. I currently co-host a podcast called Mad Genre that was started three months ago. Since then, I have had a lot of my closest friends and former classmates supporting the project by listening to our episodes as well as liking and sharing them, along with making social media posts encouraging other people to check us out. That type of support is like the little push that keeps you from giving up, it is the motive to keep working towards making progress with your venture.

Sometimes our friends have those business risks where it takes a little more than giving free support. They may be a hair stylist, photographer, graphic designer or just about anything else that their hearts could desire. Services like these are the type you should not expect to be free. If one of your friends has a business such as a clothing line or photography, you should not want to be one of those people who “Hey it is free for me, right?” or “Hook me up one time for the one time.” Value what your friend is doing and invest in their work as if you were a regular customer. Do not be cheap, put your money towards something good and believe in what your friends are offering. On the other hand, as a business owner you expect to be taken seriously. Giving away free items or services all the time can actually diminish the reputation of the brand, so do not be afraid to tell friends no.

To sum this all up, if you have a friend who is working towards creating or has created a good business, do them the favor of supporting. Whether it is by making those Facebook posts advertising what they do or just putting money into their business. Most importantly, do everything in your power to be encouraging. One day they could end up being like one of the celebrities you shamelessly admire and support…

Featured image by Madison Tyson.