I had coffee earlier this week with a friend who posed a very thoughtful question to me. She said to me
“I want to make sure I understand what you do, I want to know HOW I can support you in what you do.” I was very taken aback by her question. She wanted to make sure that I felt supported in my work, how to do so, & wants to understand exactly what I do. That kind of thoughtfulness is a BEAUTIFUL THING.
It got me thinking of how she could support me. Everyone is busy. Everyone has their own lives. People work, are married, have kids, have friends, have 100 things to do (including me). But to have friends who want to make sure that even though they have their full, busy lives going on, they are supporting me is really special.
When I first started Glitz & GlaMOM, MANY of my awesome friends spread the word. They shared my links, they invited friends & family to follow along. It made me feel very loved by my friends & am just so lucky to have them.
I have been asked this question a few times so I want to make this more general so that it can apply to MOST businesses. Lots of people I know own businesses, lots of them know people who do. You can support the people you care about in a matter of 1 minute or less, without spending any money at all. I will tell you how!
1) LIKE, LIKE, LIKE, COMMENT, COMMENT, COMMENT
Likes help! Comments help! Genuine comments only please! Anyone with a website or social media accounts know that engagement helps you get seen, rank higher. For instance, if you read my blog post, leave a comment! Respond to the writing! I love engaging with people anyway, & I take the time to answer EVERY SINGLE PERSON who engages with my work!
Leave a like & comment on social media posts on Facebook & Instagram. These really do help & make a difference.
2) SHARE YOUR FRIENDS BUSINESSES WITH YOUR OWN CIRCLES & NETWORKS
I am blessed with very awesome family & friends. I have a cousin who tells EVERYONE she knows & meets about my blog. She will show them how to follow me, how to subscribe. She is perhaps my biggest supporter! I love & adore her for doing that! Talk to the people around you about your friends businesses, blog. You never know when you may make a connection that can be helpful for someone else!
Also share digitally as well. Share your friends posts, share their websites. Give them a shoutout. These small gestures are so appreciated!
3) RE-TWEET, RE-PIN
If you are on twitter, follow your friends with blogs/businesses. Re-tweet them. Get them seen! If you are on Pinterest, re-pin their pins, again, get them more exposure! It is small thing, time-wise, that can be so helpful!
4) ASK QUESTIONS
I have had a lot of people ask me a lot of questions to learn what I do….And on the other hand a lot of people say things that were a little rude or insensitive. I didn’t know much about blogging, how to turn that into a career etc before I was preparing to do it. I don’t expect others to either that aren’t doing it. I am totally okay with people asking me what I do, how I do it, & all things like that. I have also heard things like “I should be a blogger so I can get free stuff too” or “I can write so I can do what you do” or versions of these statements. They are not true, & trust me when I tell you that this is the most time-consuming job, multi-faceted, multi-dimensional, work never, EVER done job I ever had! Anyone who owns a business, no matter what kind, are working their BUTTS off! If they are like me (type A, go-getter, extremely motivated in general) then they will be applying that to their businesses as well. Do not talk in a way that undervalues or cheapens all their hard work! If you are curious, ask questions, but just remember to be polite!
5) ENCOURAGE & SUPPORT
This applies to friendship in general, as well as another way to support your entrepreneurial loved ones. They may have days where they feel overwhelmed, exhausted, unsupported, or like throwing in the towel. These are the days they need your support most. Kind words go far. Listening goes far. I am SO lucky in this area. My friends ROCK. The best support system I could ever ask for. I really, really, really am blessed to have these babes in my life!
There you have it. 5 free ways to support your loved ones in their business ventures, without spending a dollar! What makes you feel supported by your loved ones?
Jenna! This article is so spot on! People, most of the time, want to be supportive and sometimes they just don’t know how to do so!
Xxoo
Jamie
I am so glad you related to it! I think (hope) most of one’s friends & family would want to support someone so hopefully this helps give them so tools to do so! XOXO
I REALLY REALLY wish I knew this before I started doing an MLM. I let a few friends down that i could have supported without spending $
its totally okay, I am sure they know if you did know you would have!
This is a great read and has good tips:)
thank you so much!!!! people often want to help support you and dont know how!!!
👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾 I think this post is right on the money (no pun intended). Showing support is showing you care and I think to some degree that means more than money.
Exactly, just showing you support your loved ones in a small gesture means so much!
A lot of great point here Jenna! Sometimes I don’t think people always understand how important word-of-mouth can be, especially for new businesses! Just because I’m posting to social media to show you my new product or new blog post, doesn’t necessarily mean I’m looking for YOU to buy it if you don’t want it. But by sharing that link or post, my product or blog could reach someone you does want it!
Exactly! That is 100% true. Sharing a link is a small but meaningful gesture!