The day you told your family and friends about your business, you likely thought they would come running to support you. For me, that didn’t happen.
I published my first book in 2010 and I thought I was going to sell out of every copy because all of my family and friends would buy a copy. I was completely wrong!
For years I couldn’t understand why some supported me, but others didn’t. I had more support from strangers than I had from my own family. What was I doing wrong? Should I stop expecting those I love to support me? Should I stop asking for their help? Do I stop going after my dreams because I’m not getting the support I believed I should have received? To be honest, I thought about quitting because I never wanted to be in business and not receive support. How was my business going to grow without support? Would I be able to support my family if my business wasn’t being supported by those I love?
It took me years to understand that my support may not come from those I expect it to come from. I also had to understand support isn’t always tangible. Someone praying over my business is support. Sharing my business with friends was a form of support.
I had to learn to step out of my comfort zone and find my own support system. I used my introvert lifestyle as a crutch and thought I wasn’t able to share my business verbally with others. I relied on everyone else to support, instead of doing what I had to do to build my brand.
Why do we place the blame on others when our businesses don’t succeed? I often hear the reason most small businesses fail is because there’s no support. That may be true, but not across the board. If you have a good service or product, there’s a market for you. You have to find your market. Stop standing in your circle and expecting everyone to throw money your way. That’s not how business works. You may get lucky, but you are expected to work in order for your business to grow.
When I stopped expecting those I knew to support me, support started pouring my way. When I stopped getting mad that I wasn’t being supported, I started receiving the support. Believe in yourself! You are your first supporter.
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