Favors for Friends – Do’s and Don’ts for a Small Business Owner

Nothing makes a person feel better than knowing that they were able to help out a friend in their time of need. Small business owners are often in the unique position of being called upon by many a friend to provide them with their goods or services at a reduced cost or in a manner that you would not typically agree to if the request was made by your average ordinary customer (who was not your friend). Oftentimes, the business owner is faced with the dilemma of offending a dear friend or hurting their small business. Below are some good rules of thumb to use when deciding whether or not you will be able to grant the request of your friend.

Don't jeopardize your business by granting favors that you cannot afford. If the favor your friend is requesting will cost your business money that you do not have, be upfront with your friend and tell them that, unfortunately, you are financially unable to help them at this time. Assure them that if things improve you will be more than happy to help them out as much as possible.

Do look for ways to barter goods or services with your friends. No doubt they will wish to be of service to you in any way they can. Perhaps they would be willing to exchange babysitting or housecleaning or errand-running for the goods or services they need from you. They may be willing to offer small business help to you. Perhaps they have computer skills and would be willing to help in developing a website or getting a Facebook page started for you. Friends and family members are often overlooked small business resources in and of themselves.

Don't allow your friends to take advantage of your generosity and unwillingness to say no. Do that which is reasonable and which will not overextend your business, but be sure to draw the line where it needs to be drawn.

Do recognize who your true friends are and who are merely your "friends" for what they can get out of you. True friends would never exploit your relationship for their own personal gain. True friends would wish to be as much of a help to you as you are to them. True friends would be the ones wanting to pay you over and above what you normally charge in their desire to be of a help to you and your business. True friends will be the ones who are doing everything in their power to help you promote your business and gain customers. True friends will stand by you through thick and thin.

Don't jeopardize a good friendship by being petty. If the request is doable, then grant it. If it requires a little extra effort and expense on your part, but has been requested by a very dear friend, then put forth that effort and expense and consider the friendship you have worth it.

We must judge carefully how much we are able to assist our family members and friends without jeopardizing the health of our small business. Our small businesses must make a profit in order to survive, and those who are truly our friends and care about us will recognize this fact and not fault us if we are unable to grant them special favors.

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