Many Entrepreneurs Dread The Holidays
It’s that time of year again! The turkey’s cooking, the game is on, the kids are playing video games, and the newbie entrepreneur sits alone in the den, typing up a storm.
That’s literally me and hundreds of other entrepreneurs right now. I’ll get my party on after I do my work. But you know what? Time and again, the family just doesn’t get it.
A quick search just now showed me that the keyphrase, “My Family Doesn’t Support My Business,” is searched 1.76 Billion times on Google. And, the opposing keyphrase, “What to buy an entrepreneur,” is searched only 235 Million times on Google.
Sure, I’m a bit judgy.
But as a person who grew up with entrepreneurial parents, I feel for those who don’t get the support I did. My parents always cheered me on. Why is it so difficult in other, non-entrepreneurial families? I mean, a bit of encouragement is free. There’s no harm in celebrating an entrepreneur trying to get out there in a big way.
Show Them You Care
Holiday gift-giving can be a great way to start showing them that you care and are cheering them on.
The last time I told my family about restarting my business, I was so excited! I signed up for the Sacred Money Archetypes® Coaching School by Kendall Summerhawk, and my mom was happy for me and even let me practice on her. Then, I made a mistake. I got on Gmail and did one of those in-law family “reply-alls.”
Guess what? I got one celebratory response from my sister-in-law, Angela. She’s such a gifted Reiki Master, teacher, and entrepreneur. What a gift!
For all of the other 10+ people, all I heard was crickets. Nothing. And it hurt, but it didn’t surprise me.
What surprised me a few months later was being confronted. “Are you asking everyone in the family for money?”
That was my Fourth of July conversation. Trying my best to understand how “I’m studying to become a money mindset coach” = “give me money.” Talk about a miscommunication! When I went back home, I re-read my email about 50 times…
“Where does it say Give Me Money??????” IDK.
Lesson learned. Don’t talk about my business to family.
We’ve Been Taught, You Will Never Get It. Prove us wrong.
Years ago, my marketing coach Fabienne Fredrickson taught us to never talk to family and friends about our business. She says, “They will never get it.”
She’s right. But despite being let down countless times, I’m always open to giving someone a shot.
So, this article is for those of you who are open to backing your entrepreneurial friends and family. Even if you don’t “get” it, it’s not about you. Here are some items that can help them on a path towards achievement.
These are my affiliate links. And I only serve as an affiliate to products and services that I’ve happily used for years.
IGNITE VIDEO CHALLENGE
Buy this if they want to use video for their business but are shy or unsure how to start.
The Ignite Video Challenge by Niamh Arthur is an excellent way to learn how video can help you connect with your audience. It’s not about yelling at the camera or awesome graphics. It’s about heart-to-heart connection.
I’ve done the challenge about four times and plan on doing it at least twice a year. It’s a three-week challenge for only $25! This is an internationally-run challenge and definitely worth more than $25.
Use this link to sign them up:
https://mymoneypivot–niamharthur.thrivecart.com/ivc/
FOCUS AT WILL
Buy this if they juggle a lot and need help focusing. This is a productivity tool I’ve used for over three years, and it helps me get more done in less time.
This is scientifically-engineered music. They just need to take a personality quiz so that Focus at Will can choose the right kind of music to help them focus.
For me, I like to combine this with the Pomodoro Technique. I set it for 25 minutes, and when the alarm goes off, I take a short 5-minute break. I repeat this process three times. And then the fourth time, I do it again but take a more extended break at 15-20 minutes.
Use this link to sign them up for the free trial:
https://focusatwill.go2cloud.org/SHA1
BLINKIST
Gift a subscription to this app for those that love to learn and can’t get enough of learning.
Perhaps they have a ton of paperback Amazon books they haven’t gotten to read just yet because of their busy schedule.
If you bought this for them, they’d love this gift.
I’ve used the Blinkist app for two years now. The library includes all sorts of subjects, from entrepreneurship and sales to healthy eating and biographies. Last year, I read 97 books, and this year I’ve read about 109.
What makes Blinkist different is that they don’t just read the book word for word. Instead, they take the highlights of each chapter and read the “Blinks” to you. Often, you can finish a book in 15 minutes or less.
Want to go back and read the step-by-step? No worries!
Each audio Blink comes with the written highlights version.
Here’s your link you can use to gift them a subscription:
https://blinkist.o6eiov.net/jWJRrb
QUICKBOOKS®
All successful entrepreneurs track their income and expenses using a bookkeeping system, and QuickBooks is the best.
I’ve used QuickBooks for 20 years now, and the features keep getting better and better.
As a coach, I only coach entrepreneurs who use bookkeeping software to track their finances and reconcile each month. If they don’t have a CPA, I can send them to my CPA. Deanah is an excellent EA, CPA, and Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor.
QuickBooks Online is so versatile now. An idea is to sign up for QuickBooks online on their behalf and invest in the subscription until they get more cash on their own. It’s not expensive and worth the value.
Here’s the link to check out QuickBooks:
https://quickbooks.grsm.io/mymoneypivot
MY EBOOK
Check out my ebook, “An Entrepreneur’s Guide to Finding & Making More Money.” You can find my book on Amazon or, if you’re low on cash, you can also download it for them for free by going here: https://mailchi.mp/5b7337565fe0/ebook
Sure, I went to business school and have my MBA but nothing beats learning through experience. Growing up in my family’s business was an incredible experience. It wasn’t all unicorns and daisies. However, learning from my mistakes helped make me a resilient leader. And one that doesn’t buckle easily under pressure.
This book shares my exact tools for how I turned around my family’s shop when we lost 80% of our business to China.
I’ve used this same curriculum teaching countless small businesses, and if it can work for them and me, it can work for your entrepreneur-friend too.
THINKIFIC ONLINE SCHOOL
For entrepreneurs who like to teach others online, check out Thinkific. I’ve tried all of the different online school programs and like Thinkific the best. Thinkific is very intuitive, attractive, and gives a variety of options for the driven entrepreneur.
I really like how my school turned out! You can check it out at janetsma.thinkific.com. It’s well-organized and easy to navigate too. You don’t need to be a techy entrepreneur. Just follow the process step-by-step, and all of a sudden, bam! You have an online school!
Here’s a link to check out Thinkific for free: https://try.thinkific.com/janetjohnson8535
I hope this article sparked some ideas for you!
Strive to Support & Not Necessarily Understand
I know that you might not understand your zany, dreamy entrepreneur adult child, niece, nephew, cousin, etc.
That’s OK. We know we’re weird, and we like it that way!
When it comes to conversations, you don’t need to know the who, what, why, or how. A moment of discussion and encouragement goes a long way.
Support your entrepreneurial friend or family member and let them shine a bit this holiday season.
More Ideas Coming Soon!
Next, I’ll share more about my online business school, along with a coupon code you can use for any of my classes.
You see, we entrepreneurs love learning. Ask my husband, and we’ve been together for over 20 years. My brain never stops.
If there are resources to help your beloved entrepreneur grow their business to best support their family and independence, give it. Your thoughtfulness will be reciprocated ten-fold.
Janet Johnson is a small business advisor and author of My Money Pivot: An Entrepreneur’s Guide to Finding & Making More Money and this educational blog. All views expressed belong solely to Ms. Johnson and do not represent the views of her employer.