This week as a business coach I learned a whole lot of past big scares in the United States. I learned that a whole lot of people die each day due to various reasons, which is very sad, but in reality there is not much we can do about it. We can not stop our whole lives just because some dumb people are freaking out. However, this week I will not be talking about dumb people, the end time preppers, or anything of that nature. This week I learned the importance of being able to separate business and friendships. Many people in today’s age think it to be the ideal work environment to be working with many close friends and family. Many people think that since they are friends or family that the other person won’t screw them over. I mean, since you have known Billy since the age of two does not mean that he won’t go behind your back for an extra nickel.
“A friendship founded on business is a good deal better than a business founded on friendship.”
– John D. Rockefeller
The vast majority of the time that couples or friends go into business with each other it ends in broken friendships and broken marriages. The best quote that describes this is from John D. Rockefeller, “A friendship founded on business is a good deal better than a business founded on friendship.” This quote is perfect in describing the perfect way to retain friendships and relationships. When you build your friendship on the business both parties are motivated by the growth of the business, however, when you build your business based on friendship bad things happen. You look over little things that they are doing that is killing the business. They might be constantly late, not following the business coach systems, or recording calls. When things start to go weird it is easier to say something when it’s not your friend that you have known since kindergarten.
The hard part in all of this is being able to separate yourself from friendship and business no matter who it is. It does not matter if it is your husband, wife, childhood friend, or even some guy you hired on to fill in a spot. If they do not follow the systems to a T then they must know it and must be told. The business is there to serve you and you alone. When two friends or a couple start a business it is possible to succeed, but only if there is one clear head to the business. Being able to separate yourself from being at home and being at work is the key to growing your business with a friend. That is why it is perfect with me and my wife, because we both have separate business coach lanes that we work in. I manage the SEO team and she coaches clients. We have been lucky in being able to work together and both knowing that we are both on the same team but working in different areas. We also both know that if we do anything weird that we would tell Jon or Clay right away.
