When we first start a business, we get a lot of inquiries, people congratulating us, and sending praises for the first couple of days or month, but over time it kind of fades out.

Don’t expect the enthusiasm about your business to last forever. People have their own lives. They are happy for you but they can’t be constantly involved in what you are doing. Expect support and congratulations but don’t get too invested because it starts to taper down after a while.

Running a small business is hard. You might feel lonely because people cannot totally understand why you are so passionate and why you needed to work so badly. It’s difficult. Sometimes, you want to cry, to talk about it, and even want to give up and need a shoulder to cry on. That’s what your family and friends are there for.

However, just because you are a small business owner, does not mean the rest of your life does not exist. You also need to be there for the important people in your life. You need to give back what they are giving to you. Relationships should be satisfied mutually.

A lot of times I go into these Facebook groups or other platforms online and see people asking about what type of support they should expect. Should they expect family members to be on board with it? Should they be discouraged if their family is not completely onboard with it? What exactly should they expect? What’s right? What’s wrong? What they need to know?

A lot of people online who are starting out, expect that their friends and family are going to be what get them started. In reality, it doesn’t work like that. They don’t have any obligation to purchase from you.

You need a plan in place to attract other people. You cannot rely from your friends and family to purchase from you or you’ll be disappointed. This will only put you and your loved ones to a very uncomfortable and awkward situation.

Overall, you just need to think that you are starting a business because you can do it. You want to do it from scratch and it’s all about you. Focus on yourself. Don’t expect too much from them and keep your relationships healthy and stable.