Friends vs Business Friends

Today I am going to tackle a subject that may be a little tender for some of you. For some of you it may be hard to swallow because it really does mean a shift in the way you think, and ultimately the people you associate with. On the surface it may seem harmless, but it can be determining factor in your success. That subject is the difference between friends and business friends/ business associates/business partners. (Rather than constantly write the long version, I will just refer to them as business friends)
In my life I have battled over and over again trying to turn my friends and family for that matter into entrepreneur, to change the way they think and to get them to think like I do, like an entrepreneur. To take my friends and make them business friends. The harsh reality, unfortunately, is that for most of you, just like me, your friends will not become entrepreneur. This is a slap in the face to the MLM mentality of making a list of friends and family. Most of your friends and family simply do not have what it takes to create nor run a business. I know, after years of trying, none of my mine do.

If you disagree, think of it like this:
If $100,000 to $1 Million was on the line, do or die, succeed or fail, right here right now....would you bet on any of your friends and/or family to work with you to get there? I cannot answer that for you, but I am guessing if you truly put it into perspective, you may not like the answer to that question, especially if you are following the normal MLM formula. Now I am not saying there is anything wrong with your friends or family, nor my friends and family, but you have to realize that your success cannot hinge on them from a business perspective, you have to be able to separate them from business friends.

So what constitutes a business friend then?

Someone, who like you, has a business. They are willing to do whatever it takes, sacrifice what must be sacrificed. They are decisive; they make decisions not on emotion, but rather on what is best for their business. If they are someone you work with in your business, they pull their weight and manage their time effectively as to get the most business progression possible out of each day, month, and year. They deal with distractions accordingly and do their best not to let them slow them or their business down (everyone has distractions, it is inevitable that something will slow you or them down at some point, the important thing is to not let it lag for too long).

Now that being said, does that mean you should treat your friends differently than your business friends?
In my opinion, yes.
Harsh? Perhaps, but necessary.
Your business friends while support you, challenge you, expect out of you the same they do of themselves, and work with you to accomplish your goals. Spend more time working with them.
Your personal friends will tell you about their new grill, their spouse, their kids, their job, there car, and everything in-between. Spend less time with them (Not any time at all, I'm not telling you to abandoned your friends, just spend a little less time with them)
Does your future depend on a BBQ or does it depend on what you complete to move your business forward?
I am not saying that your entire life should be nothing but your business. You must unplug from time to time, and yes spend time with your friends and maybe BBQ. My point is that if you find you spend more time at BBQ's, drinking, and the like, but your time towards building your business is fraction of the time, it might be time to reassess what you really want to accomplish.
Your time must be managed between your business friends and your personal friends wisely. Because when you finally build your business to the point where you can quit your job and work it full time, because you have the money coming in to allow it, your personal friends will still be working and living the same life. With all your free time, you will have plenty of time to spend with them, cause you can easily work around their schedule...seeing as you don't have a schedule anymore. Monday thru Sunday will no longer have names, they will just be days.

Give me your feedback. Have you run into the dilemma of having friends and trying to help them become an entrepreneur? Has it been a frustration?

One last thing, to quite the storm of what may be a backlash over all of this. Once you have successfully built a business that brings in those six figures, might your friends then see your success and strive to be the entrepreneur you tried to help them to become in the beginning? Anything is possible, maybe once you have reached that point, that once was impossible...can become possible.

Blaine M Brazzle
http://www.mlm-mastermindmarketing.com