Entrepreneurs are their own best marketing experts. They know their businesses, products and services inside and out, and operate as brand evangelists when they are on and off the job. The passion entrepreneurs have for what they bring to the market is often energetic and endless. This can be both positive and negative when it comes to talking to your friends and family about how you earn a living. On the pro side, if they care about you they will care about your business endeavors. On the con side, they may feel like they are always being “sold to” when you hang out, even if that isn’t your intention.
It’s important to strike a balance between your entrepreneurial energy, and your personal relationships. Take a look at a few ways to find that equilibrium.
Be yourself.
If you are genuine about your excitement, that will shine through. Using cliché phrases like how your product or service will “change lives” or how your business model is the “opportunity of a lifetime” will make you sound more like an infomercial than yourself (and will turn people off with its non-genuine tone). Tell personal stories about WHY you started your business, created your service, or invented your product. This is true when you talk to people in person, or post on social media accounts. What is it about your business that really represents you as an entrepreneur and person? People will connect with this kind of messaging.
Stay positive.
You may experience some negativity from the people you care about the most, but try to rise above it. When possible, avoid acting in a defensive way especially on social media. Deliver the facts about your business and why you think it’s amazing, but allow others to come to their own conclusions. With a consistent positive message, eventually even the biggest nay-sayers will come around.
Support the endeavors of others.
Ever heard the phrase you “reap what you sow?” It’s especially true when it comes to entrepreneurship. If you want people to support your business, you had better be sure you are supporting them in turn. This can be done by simply “liking” a Facebook post about a new job or business endeavor of a friend, or by buying from one of them when you need the product or service they offer. It’s so easy to get wrapped up in our own business pursuits that we forget other people are in the thick of it too, and could really use our show of support.
If you find that you are encountering negativity despite all of these positive approaches, don’t sweat it. Your success does not hinge on the approval of other people. Stay focused on your own entrepreneurial goals and surround yourself with people who support them.
