Never Mix Business & Friendship

By Terri Seymour
Posted Saturday, August 28, 2004

I have heard it said on the net that you should not become friends with people whom you do business with.

I say, "Why not?" Building personal relationships is the foundation of your business success.

Because business should be business and there is no room for making friends and socializing. Friendship interferes with a business relationship by keeping people from making the right business choice for the sake of the friendship.

I say, "No way!" Friends understand the business decisions you have to make because they sometimes have had to make the same ones. If they cannot, they are not a friend!

I have been in the Internet marketing business for two years and have made numerous close friends and many casual friends. These relationships have helped me personally and professionally.

Personally, I have had the pleasure of getting to know people from all over the world. Interesting people. Professionally, I have learned from all these people and some of them have become my customers. When you build this relationship, you also build trust and people will be more likely to buy from someone they trust.

Treat everyone you meet with respect, courtesy and consideration. This will go a long way in building friendships and your business. Because in doing this, you are building yourself, your reputation and your character. If you appear aloof and rigid, you will be looked upon with skepticism and mistrust. This will do nothing for your business or reputation, but it will probably keep you from making any friends. If
that is your goal, you will then do well.

I have written several articles on how we should treat each other because I have seen some people be rude or even downright cruel to others for absolutely no reason. I guarantee a person with that kind of outlook and attitude will not get far in the business world or their personal life.

When I first came online, I was amazed by how much people were willing to help others and how so many people built online friendships. It was one of the things that attracted me to this business.

Places to start building these relationships:

mailto:hbj_chat-subscribe@yahoogroups.com)
(http://www.wahmpreneur.com/discus/)
(http://powerhomebiz.com/discussion/subscription.htm)
(http://www.webmasterworld.com/)
(http://www.wahm.com/cgi-bin/Ultimate.cgi)
(http://www.entrepreneursnetworkexchange.com/)
(http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LB-Ad_Swaps)
(http://momsnetwork.com)
(http://swap.at/TheSwapShop.com)

So if someone advises you not to mix friendship with business, think about the consequences of having such an opinion. And simply ask them, "Why not?"

About the Author
Terri Seymour owns and operates MyOwnEzine.com Learn to publish and promote your own ezine. mailto:subscribe@myownezine.com
Complete list of her articles for reprint please email: mailto:myownezine-index@getresponse.com Earn 50% with the MOE Affiliate Program (http://www.myownezine.com/moesalespage.shtml)