Woman fumes as friends don’t support her small business – but accept free gifts

A business owner has shared her dismay that her friends do nothing to support her business, even though there are ways that they can help for free, but they are happy to accept presents

If you own a small business, you will know that a little support can go a long way. So the entrepreneurs among us are often thankful for any help their loved ones wish to give. Whether it is something as simple as liking the business’ social media pages or spreading the news by word of mouth, there are plenty of ways people can support their friends for free.

It is for this reason that one woman has been left frustrated – as she says her pals don’t help her out in any way, despite not needing to spend money to do so.

Get the news you want straight to your inbox. Sign up for a Mirror newsletter here

Posting to Reddit, the frustrated friend wrote: “I have launched my small business for a while, and I am really proud of what I do. I have been wanting to put myself out there for a while, and I have always asked for my friend’s help. They would offer to help me with photos, insta design and promoting.

“Most of them have some free stuff from me, they would say they love a product and they want to buy it and postpone it until their birthday… “

She added: “I really do need some support, as the small business field is extremely competitive, and I hoped they would at least like or follow my profile. But no, they didnt, they dont even answer the random polls on my story, which I need for feedback…

“Im just a bit sad that I have absolute 0 support from my ‘close’ friends, even if I’m supposed to be the one and only to grow my business.”

“AITA (Am I the A*****e) for getting mad?” she concluded.

But people were divided by the woman’s post about her jewellery business – as she revealed it to be in the comments.

One person wrote: “As a small business owner I understand how you feel. It’s really hard watching friends/family support, share, like, etc. other family members businesses but mine. I’m gonna say NTA because I understand where you’re coming from.”

However, another said: “YTA. They’re not obligated to become your customers or your marketing assistants. This is not their problem, it’s yours. You have to focus on reaching your target audience. You’ll lose your friends if you place these expectations on them.”

In response, the business owner clarified: “I never asked them to do anything, nor did I tell them anything about me being mad,” but said: “Thank you!”

And when another commenter suggested: You really should get other people than friends to answer your polls. You want genuine answers from your patrons who are more likely to purchase your products, not skewed answers,” she added: “That is also very very true, thank you. Thats why I love reddit, you get all these different points of view.”

Do you agree? Let us know in the comments below.