Friends, Family, and Professors Can Help Your Venture for Free
Some of the best – no, the best – advice, ideas, and support that I have received for my business has come from my family, friends, and the occasional chat from professors when I was still in college.
The smart entrepreneur will consult with friends and family about their business whenever they have the chance. Sure, not all of our family members may hold the solutions to our problems. But from my experiences, family members – especially mom – tend to offer great practical advice that helps me make rational decisions in times of disarray.
It’s also great to reach out to friends and ask for their advice. You’ll have some friends who know a lot about coding / design, so reach out to them when your site is down before you spend hundreds hiring a server management company.
There will be times when you feel like absolute crap because things seem to be falling a part. Well before you throw in the towel, reach out to one of your close friends who can help you get through an issue and offer emotional support.
And what about the times when you’re clueless as to how to move forward with a technical business issue such as: filing a corporation, taxes, employee compensation, etc… A great way to get some immediate advice is to consult with one of your business professors after class.
Last year when I was still in college, I made an effort to spend at least 5 – 10 minutes – after class – with each one of my business professors. Most of the time we simply spoke about random ideas, but in some cases, we spoke about real business issues that I was facing and how to go about getting something done the right way. It was great.
Connecting to your network of friends, family, and business professors can be a powerful thing. In the long-run, you’ll be sure to save countless dollars and at the same time, you’ll be building a venture with the help of those you really care about.
Do you reach out to your friends and family?
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