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187
Temmytellsbrandstories
Brand Strategist | Content Strategist | Graphic designer @ Adekunle Ajasin university
Brand Strategist | Content Strategist | Graphic designer @ Adekunle Ajasin university
My Family and Friends ruined me 😭
<p>MY FAMILY AND FRIENDS RUINED MY BUSINESS.</p><p><br/></p><p>At least, that's what I thought.</p><p><br/></p><p>When I started my business, I wanted my family and friends to be part of my success story.</p><p><br/></p><p>So, I gave them discounts.</p><p>Sometimes, I gave them products for free.</p><p><br/></p><p>When they complained about my prices, I reduced them.</p><p>When they wanted to pay later I agreed.</p><p><br/></p><p>After all, these were my people. How could I say no?</p><p><br/></p><p>But something strange started happening.</p><p>The people I kept sacrificing my profit for were the same people who would negotiate the price of my products without hesitation.</p><p><br/></p><p>Some wouldn't buy at all.</p><p>And some ended up buying the same thing I sell from other people.</p><p><br/></p><p>And I kept bringing them close because I didn't want to look selfish.</p><p><br/></p><p>Eventually, I started getting frustrated with them.</p><p>I felt unsupported. I felt used. I even wondered whether they wanted my business to succeed.</p><p><br/></p><p>But one day, I had to ask myself a difficult question.</p><p><br/></p><p><strong>Were they really ruining my business, or was I making business decisions based on my need to be accepted?</strong></p><p><br/></p><p>Because the truth is, I never communicated my boundaries.</p><p><br/></p><p>I never had a clear rules for discounts, I kept having discounts because I just wanted to sell. </p><p><br/></p><p>I never learned how to separate being a good friend from being a good business owner.</p><p><br/></p><p>I expected people to understand the sacrifices I was making without ever explaining what those sacrifices were costing me.</p><p><br/></p><p>And that was on me.</p><p><br/></p><p>Here's what I learned:</p><p><br/></p><p><strong>Your family and friends can love you and still not be your target customers.</strong></p><p><br/></p><p>They can support you without buying everything you sell.</p><p><br/></p><p>And you can love them without making your business financially uncomfortable for their sake.</p><p><br/></p><p>Stop making your business pay for your fear of disappointing people.</p><p><br/></p><p>Your business deserves boundaries, too.</p><p><br/></p><p>Now, tell me the truth: </p><p>have you ever given someone a discount you couldn't afford simply because you knew them personally?</p>
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