Helping Your Friend Or Family Member’s New Business

helping grow a new business

I get by with a little help from my friends sang Ringo Starr, and one of your nearest and dearest will soon be able to sing the same lines. Even if you’ve never had your own business, we’re sure you’re familiar with just how much hard work is entailed to make sure it’s a success. And even then, it should be said that it’s even more difficult than that, because of all the extra little tasks and jobs that crop up every single day. As such, the best thing you can do for a friend or family member isn’t just buying their products or using their services; it is actively helping them to get their business off their ground. We’re sure they’d do the same for you, so it’s time to roll up your sleeves, dive into the deep end, and get to work with them whenever you have the time. They’ll pay you back in one way or another in due course.

Bringing Your Skills

Your friend, bless them, just doesn’t possess all the necessary skills to get their business to where they need to be. And they can’t quite afford to bring in the staff to do those jobs for them yet, either. As you’ve probably guessed, this is where you come in. If you’ve got the necessary chops to be of service, take a read through the definitive guide to hosting a business website and help them get online. With everything else going on, it’s one of those tasks they won’t be able learn themselves quickly enough to be of any use. Similarly, if you have any trade skills – such as electrical wiring or carpentry – then you could be invaluable in helping them get their premises up to scratch. Whatever it is you’re able to do well, they’ll almost certainly be something for you to do in a business!

Investing

Your skills will go a long way, but what most new businesses lack isn’t skill shortages but the actual cash needed to really get off the ground. If you’re not a youngster yourself, then you may have savings that you’re willing to invest in to your friend or family member’s business. Remember, the key word is invest, not give away. This won’t be a charity case – you should look at the business as you would any other. The only advantage is that you might be less pushy with the terms and be more lenient when it comes to later on down the line. Of course, you shouldn’t compromise your own financial standing in any way, but if you have the money then come to agreement that works for both of you and become part of the business.

Manpower Hours

The big stuff, like specialist skills and cold, hard cash are the big things that can turn a company into a big hitter. But there’s also the “smaller stuff”, the tasks that don’t require anything special other than good old fashioned hard work. Things like stuffing envelopes, being there to count stock, or working on the premises for a few hours during the day require nothing other than your time. If you’ve got the time to do so, help out with the small tasks – they are what will keep the business owner needlessly busy when they could be following more ambitious routes. And who knows, you might just learn something new about yourself (but if nothing else, remember that doing things for others makes us feel good).

A New Perspective

A new business is the vision of the business owner. Unfortunately, if it’s the creation of just one person then it’s sometimes possible that they get things wrong, purely because they’re too “close” to what it is they’re trying to create. They might overlook something substantial, or made such an error when it comes to designing that if it was left too late it would cause many problems. You can be the company’s “mystery shopper”, who looks around and offers an impartial view of what worked and what doesn’t. Every company needs to get feedback – it’ll be all the better if it’s received before the launch so things can be watertight from day one.

Spreading The Word

If nothing else, if really nothing else, then the very least you can do is support the business by spreading the word. Following and sharing their posts on social media platforms, telling other friends and work colleagues about it, and basically making sure that the new company is never too far from any conversation you’re having will be a huge help.

With over 9 years of search marketing experience, Sandra is cross skilled between PPC and SEO. Her experience in search spans across different verticals including Technology, Retail, Travel & Automotive.