Hey There! It’s Christina M. Dukes, The Success Manifestation Coach. I am a Success Coach, Law of Attraction Teacher, and Motivational Speaker.

As we end the 2nd Quarter of 2020, I have spent the last few weeks reflecting over the changes, challenges and opportunities of 2019.

In reality, a lot of people I called friends in 2019 didn’t come into 2020 with me. Owning a business can be tough and honestly, you have to be crazy to become an entrepreneur.

But in the pursuit of your highest calling you have to obey your dreams.

Here 7 valuable lessons friendship has taught me about business.

1. Support. 

The best things your friends can do for you is support your vision. Support for you as an entrepreneur will be essential in the manifestation of success. A support system will give you the balance you need to get through good and tougher times.

When your friends support you by purchasing your products, referring you to their network, attending and sharing your events, and highly recommending you to others, it can really give you the confidence that you are on the right path; because they believe in you and support your vision.

2. Loyalty. 

The only way I can say this is, “pay attention to who doesn’t clap when you win”. The truth is when you take the leap of faith to start your own business, everyone won’t support you. Loyalty is one of my top core personal values, so it is very important to me.

The thing is just pay attention to who doesn’t support you, and think about why they don’t. Is your messaging unclear? Is this something new for them? Are you a serial entrepreneur that is always switching companies? Have you confused your friends?

Regardless of the reason, your friends don’t have to support your business. However, even though they may not purchase your products, taking the time to ask you about how your business is going and add words of motivation can go along way where loyalty is concerned.

3. Reliability. 

When your friends commit do they follow through? I remember when I first started doing live events and conferences, I would have friends who would promise to attend and never show up. The reality is most times I never really heard from them after as much either.

Having friends who will show up when they say they will is really important for your confidence level as an entrepreneur. We all get really busy at times, but its important to check in with our friends to see how they are doing and make up with them if something happens.

As an entrepreneur you will really need reliable friends. Having someone to rely on when you really need to talk or help with something is essential. Just be sure to not overuse your friends and respect their boundaries.

4. Forgiveness.

If your friends don’t support you or aren’t reliable you will have to forgive them for yourself and your peace of mind. Forgive them and focus on who does support you and your dreams. Sometimes people go through changes in life and we have to allow people and relationships to evolve on their own.

Try your best not to get upset if your friends don’t support you like you thought they would. Truly having no expectations of your friends in terms of the success of your business will give you peace of mind. The bonus is that if your friends do support you, it is like unexpected praise.

5. Openness. 

As a successful entrepreneur you will need friends who will be open with you when something in your business isn’t working. Having friends who will just let you dive off the deep end without saying anything is detrimental.

Real friends will give you a heads up if they feel something isn’t best for you. Even if you decide to continue down a different path, their openness should serve as caution for you. However, the opinions of others should not stop you from truly pursuing your passion.

6. Understanding.

 Having friends that understand you when times get rough will be really important to you as an entrepreneur. When you are pursuing your dreams, it is so essential to have friends that truly understand you, what you are going through, and not judge you.

The bottom line is that being an Entrepreneur is tough. There will be times when you will need the understanding of good friends to support you through good and bad times.

7. Commitment. 

I can remember times in the early stages of my business when I wanted to give up. I remember that some of my friends were more committed to the vision God had given me than I was. They encouraged me to continue, or sometimes they would send me a text, “Hey when is the next video coming out or when is the next seminar.”

Commitment to your vision is so important. If your friends never ask you about your business they may lack commitment to your friendship in general.   

I hope you this post was helpful for you in understanding that most entrepreneurs go through tough times with their friends. It’s not about the tough times, it's about having people to lean on when life and business gets crazy.

Have An Amazing Day,

Christina xoxo

If you are looking for a coach, I would love the opportunity to talk with you. You can click here to learn more about me and my strategy sessions and programs.

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