Friends and family are essential to have along on your entrepreneurial journey

There’s no doubt about it, the journey of building a business is easier when travelled with the ones you love and who care for you, alongside you for support. You know the saying “if you want to go far go alone, if you want to go further travel together”. There is nothing more rewarding than celebrating our first business successes than with friends, colleagues and family, or leaning on those very same people when the inevitable hardships and disappointments hit. I was reading an extract from a really useful book this weekend that reminded me of all these things and the importance of building a great support system as entrepreneurs. Meg Hirshberg, author of For Better or for Work: A Survival Guide for Entrepreneurs and Their Families, suggests having discussions around the three principle areas before you actually launch your business as part of your preparation process. Firstly, get your family members around the table to discuss how your family life will change once you have launched your business and embarked on your entrepreneurial journey. Secondly, give them all a heads-up on how finances might get tight in the early days of launching the business and explain the need for possible compromise and understanding around lifestyle. Finally, make sure that everyone grasps the big picture and supports where you are going with your business vision. Having everyone on the same page will help from an emotional and practical perspective in the early days of launching your business.