Comments on: Ask IttyBiz: When Others Rain on Your Home Business Parade

By: Pick Of The Week - 24th May 2008 | Business Opportunities And Ideas

Pick Of The Week - 24th May 2008 | Business Opportunities And Ideas — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 12:25:05 +0000

[...] Dunford wrote When Others Rain on Your Home Business Parade, which sadly is relevant to nearly all start-ups not just home [...]

By: Jason Sieckmann

Jason Sieckmann — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 14:56:07 +0000

I have been experiencing all of this. I JUST got started, and am going mostly off of what I can find on the internet, buy at the bookstore, and invent as I go. When friends found out that I cut my work week down to a couple of days a week so that I could work on my site full time, I got all sorts of pissy responses about how hard they work and ‘good luck, champ’ -responses. Now? I realize my friends are assholes. Especially when I ask them for help, they turn up useless or ‘busy.’ That’s fine. I will put in twenty hour weeks. And, when I’m sitting at a conference in Canada, negotiating 55K a month deals, they can have fun working at Walgreens.

By: New Friends For Your Life-Style Change | Self-Esteem Low? Depression Getting You Down? Infidelity Signs Leading You To Divorce? You Might Be In Your Midlife Crisis!

Fri, 23 May 2008 08:38:30 +0000

[...] After so many years where you have been there to demonstrate how successful they are, there is a serious risk that they will begin to feel inferior to you. Naomi’s article is here. [...]

By: Music Guy

Music Guy — Fri, 23 May 2008 06:41:45 +0000

when I attempt to play my music (that I sell) to friends I risk my ego being smashed by throwaway comments like, “that sounds like that song from the 80’s” or, shock/horror, talking over my music!!

There’s me, deep in analysis of each component of the composition and they are asking if I want a cup of coffee and walking into the kitchen.

Its wasted on them!

Similarly I have a local mate who we only talk about his wood joinery business because we could never strike up a conversation about selling music online or blogging because he has no interest in learning about it. So we just talk about wood which gets a bit boring after a while.

Maybe Naomi should write an article on finding the right friends to match your business…

..in fact…. maybe I should.

By: Jamie Dunford

Jamie Dunford — Fri, 23 May 2008 04:04:03 +0000

Koldo:

Bingo! Every time I try to talk to my one friend about the business, his eyes glaze over. Not only does he not understand, but he doesn’t even seem to want to understand. It pisses me off at times because this is a part of my life and he doesn’t care.

When you get excited about life it is your friends and family you want to share it with most, and when they don’t want to reciprocate it can get pretty frustrating.

By: Koldo

Koldo — Thu, 22 May 2008 21:21:12 +0000

The more sucessful I get the more I understand my best friends and family will never be in my “fan database”. Yes, it’s curious to know how people you don’t know can be the most suportive in your life. I wrote about it in this post:
http://www.koldobarroso.com/thanks-designer-women/

I often think they’re missing an important part of my life, and I don’t expect aplauses from them but the trouble starts when I just can’t share the most important thoughts, feelings and events in my life with any of them just because they don’t give a damn about it, and I think this is very sad.

By: Quiet Rebel Writer » Blog Archive » Lassoed Links in a Week of (Un)Success

Thu, 22 May 2008 18:53:19 +0000

[...] Why Mom Was Right About Success Is Social Networking Overrated? Ask IttyBiz: When Others Rain on Your Home Business Parade Strategic Withdrawal: Quitting for the Rest of Us And the RANDOM LINK of the day goes to: Lost [...]

By: Mitch Dominguez

Mitch Dominguez — Thu, 22 May 2008 03:41:22 +0000

Former “Lurker” to this site. Been working for myself pretty much my whole life, 50+ years, started in my early teens. Found out then in teen-hood that most folks are envious, mentally thick as a brick, and even good friends DO NOT want to see you succeed too much.

My view:

“Can’t Help About The Shape I’m In,
Can’t Sing, I Ain’t Pretty, & MY Legs Are Thin,
But Don’t Ask Me What I Think Of You,
I Might Not Give The Answer That You Want Me To.
OH WELL”
Lyrics From The ORIGINAL FLEETWOOD MAC w/Peter Green

Toughen up there “Sparky” and get skin like a Rhino. That’ll put a smile on your mug and a spring in your step. SUCCESS IS THE BEST PAYBACK!! Friends can’t/won’t back you up, just tell ‘em this.
“I got 2 words for you, one of them is “YOU” and the other ain’t “THANK”. Oh Well!

Mitch Dominguez

By: Sonia Simone

Sonia Simone — Wed, 21 May 2008 23:03:42 +0000

I think the “but what if they’re really clueless” point is a good one, but I don’t think you really know that for another person. (OK, anonymous’s friend is clueless, but he is also not going to go out and get a big ole clue because someone tells him, Uh, dude, you suck pretty bad at this.)

And sometimes the people you think will never make it *do*.

As to the support/help thing, my husband is excellent in many ways, but asking him to give me meaningful help in what I do is like asking the cat to do my taxes. If by some miracle they got done, I wouldn’t exactly trust the outcome. He’s nice and makes nodding motions, which works great for me. If I need help, though, he’s not the person I turn to.

Then again, I am unbelievably bad at asking for help, so my advice on that is probably pretty useless.

By: LA Blogger Gal

LA Blogger Gal — Wed, 21 May 2008 21:37:26 +0000

I can totally relate to part of the challenges the emailer is going through. Luckily, my husband and many of my friends support and get behind me. One of my closest friends (and some of the inlaws) just don’t get what I do so there’s not much support there.

My suggestion, find some networking groups. I recently took my business in a new direction through the Ladies Who Launch group and let me tell you, I’ve made some great friends and a killer support/cheerleading team. So find that group that allows you to toot your horn, as well as support you when you need it. It’s made a world of difference.

Good luck.