One thing that defines us, as humans are the inter-relationship or bond between us. Over the years, we have men have risen to the top because they associated themselves with the right people.
Some others, however, find themselves at the lower rung of the ladder, just because, they associated themselves with the wrong people.
A well-known cliche, “birds of a feather flock together”, the kind of people you relate with, on a daily basis, have a way of influencing your thinking, which in turn affects your environment, through your actions.
Names of friends, such as, Ben and Jerry, Larry and Sergey, Hewlett and Packard, etc., who have been able to harness the power of friendship and knowledge, sometimes, divergent, in jointly building business empires.
Having a healthy circle of friends is good and to some degree, it will serve you well, but you need to be careful because the wrong circle of friends will systematically kill any spark of creativity in you and you may end up becoming a liability to the society.
As an individual running a business, you need to maintain a healthy circle of friendship, outside your business environment, by striking a balance between your happy hours and your busy hours.
Below are three reasons, why you need to separate friendship from business:
Business fails with the wrong circle friends: Friends that cannot contribute positively, nor, give valuable advice that will be beneficial to the growth and development of you and your business, should be kept at arm’s length from your business.
When you allow this group of people to have access to your life, there is a high probability that, you will become stagnant, which in turn, leads to a downward spiral of your business.
Checkmate those, whom you allow into your life, as it speaks loudly of whom you are and where you are going.
Separate happy hours from busy hours: Some businesses can be so demanding and it will take the better part of your time. Let there be a clear demarcation between the time you spend hanging out and playing with your friends and the time you are busy with your business. Know when to hang out with friends and when to focus, solely, on your business.
Mixing your happy hour with your busy hour is a recipe for failure. Have fun, when you need to, as all work and no play, surely, makes Jack a dull boy. Focus solely, with all seriousness, on your business, when you have to.
Remember why you are running the business: Remember, always, where you started from and why you are running the business. Remember that there are some people out there, who depend on you and the survival of the business.
These are members of your immediate family, who might be your wife, your husband, your children, your relatives, your staff who draw salaries and yourself. Remembering makes you more focused and gives you the energy to cut off people who do not have the same vision as you, in terms of growing your business.
