I had a great conversation with a friend yesterday about
entrepreneurship. It is not as easy as it looks and the support from
friends and family can go a long way. Taking the leap into starting
your own business, brand, product, service or whatever is a big deal.
It can be an emotional roller coaster. Especially the first time you
get on the ride!
So why are friends and family important? Word of mouth in both real
world conversations as well as through social networks such as
Facebook and Twitter is crucially important for a small business. You
often hear big news stories about companies getting MILLIONS in
funding for a new venture which allows them to have huge marketing
budgets. Compared to the amount of actual startups this occurrence is
actually few and far between. Most people, including myself, have to
rely on guerrilla marketing techniques, social media (Facebook,
Twitter and soon Google+), Press and everyone we can get to talk about
our products and services.
I would never expect a friend to talk about my products with great
conviction if they have never tried it. Although during a conversation
someone might be talking about a similar product. Cutting in and maybe
saying "My friend John has a similar product called xyz. I have not
personally tried it but think you should take a look at it as a second
option. Please let me know what you think about it so I can give John
some feedback." This is a great way to introduce a friend's product!
It also leads for an expectation for feedback. It gives the person you
are talking to an expectation to actually try the product.
Social sharing is a VERY EASY way to show support for a friend. In
less then 1 minute you can make a well crafted post linking to a
friend's business (either website or Facebook fan page). It could be
just what one of your 1,000 Facebook friends is looking for! Send a
Tweet about it and tag your friend in the tweet to let them know you
are showing support.
Buy the product or service! What!!! Did you just say actually spend
money on something my friend does? Shouldn't they give it to me for
free because I am their friend? Well no. A product always has an
actual cost attached to it and a service generally involves someones
time. Ever heard the saying "time is money?" So in reality they are
both the same. Businesses generally have a small budget to give out
free products. Be a FRIEND and let them use that towards people that
have no idea about the company. Acquiring a new customer is harder
then you think!
My experiences with this topic have been a great learning experience.
I can personally say when I see a friend talk about something I do or
post about it on Facebook it brings me great joy. It helps keep me
going. Really! I often post about products my friends are working on.
Not because I have to but I understand the difficulties of what they
are trying to accomplish. During the Christmas of 2009 I received an
online order for (2) CurrySimple gift packs from the girl I was dating
in DC. I immediately called her and was like "Ahhh... What are you
doing???" She said she wanted to give them to some friends that like
Thai food and had never tried my product. I was SHOCKED. I put them
together... Jumped in my car... Drove 660 miles... And personally
delivered them 10 hours later. This also made me realize that one of
the greatest traits I now look for in a woman is SUPPORT. Although my
relationship with the girl in DC faded due to distance I will never in
my life forget her online order and more importantly the support she
showed me during our relationship. Friends have also helped me out
tremendously by getting me media contacts, TV appearances and other
types os support. I can not thank them enough!
Showing support for an entrepreneurial friend is easier then you think
and only takes a minute. Be a friend and talk about a friend.
I am a serial entrepreneur! 