Doing Business with Family and Friends is a NO NO for Me

Hello Lovelies, been a minute. 

Let's make this fast! 

You need to realize that when given the opportunity to work with someone you are familiar with- be it a family member, or a friend (and by working I mean employment, business, services, etc) work is work and should be delivered with every form of professionalism, excellence and high standard as to your other clients. Often times when you engage these family members and friends in a business transaction and get bad service from them and scold them, they get so bitter with you and put on that sense of entitlement. This amazes me! Or how they feel entitled when you give out a business opportunity that they feel entitled to simply because they are into the same business, to another person. I understand that it is good to patronize your own, do not get me wrong here, I believe in that same school of thought but I have noticed most times these people fail to deliver the standard you require. Should you complain? You lose them over unwarranted fighting, argument and beefing. Many enemies have been made down this road.

So I got this call from a friend just now, she was ranting, wailing and screaming down my ears over the phone I had to literally put the phone on loudspeaker before she destroys my eardrum biko. 

'Babe Please calm down, who die' I said to her trying to pacify her but she refused to be appeased. What was beating her this hot afternoon? Sentiments in business! Overfamiliarity in business! Ha!

So she had this big event coming up and she contracted part of the job out to her people. One she gave to her elder brother, another to her close friend, another to her Uncle and on top of these hurdles, she already had employed her Aunty as her office manager in her firm! Ok nice one, after all she is helping their ministry right? But the downside of this (which is often by the way) was the quality of service she received. She got below what she asked for and when she tried to relate this to them, it became an issue. They were difficult to correct, hurling down the ‘I am older than you’ syndrome down her throat and she chose me to come and rant for. I can relate to her frustration.

But my question is this, why do people often deliver bad services to others based on relationships and familiarity? Some go as far as charging you based on your salary (after you told them in confident) exploiting you like Niger Delta exploit Shell (oops sorry, before they come for me). Why employ the service of a loved one to help their ministry but all you get in return is poor service, rudeness, entitlement, and fight due to overfamiliarity. When you scold them, they would go ''see this girl wey I know when them give birth to'' when you sack them, they report you to village people and when you don't employ them, they take your matter to God. In the end, your business is being ruined. When you walk into the office and everyone is afraid of you and calls you ma and sir, but the village people will yimu you. When you scold them, you lose friendship!

For me baa, I have resolved to only patronize friends or family members that understand the line between professionalism and familiarity. Give me the right service for the money I paid you for.  Or I can refer people to you but I won't use you. I need to express my self and not get judged or dragged for it.

I had to advise my wailing friend to learn how to draw the line between friendship and business for peace's sake. And for you hanty and uncle wey dem employ, please just do your work and stop attaching feelings to it when scolded over failure to carry out a task effectively. 

Me I dey talk my own,  I am not about to do charity work with these ones. Nor employ someone way older than me who I cannot shout for.

But hey, what do you think? I dey harsh?

Until I come your way next time...

XOXO