Have Entrepreneurs in the Family? Treat Them Well.

As more and more young people start their own businesses, they are often subject to unfortunate and unwarranted behaviour from their family members in the guise of "support."

Here's how you can do better.

Asking for discounts

Sometimes, ordering from an acquaintance who just opened a business does them a favour. If your intention is to appreciate and explain how efficient they are at serving clientele, then you would be helpful.

However, if your intention is to order a product to then gloat about how you are saving their new business from going under, and then asking for a discount using family ties, then it may be best for you to not order at all.

Ordering products and services and asking them to be free of charge can really make things difficult for the businessperson, since they may feel inclined to serve you on account of you being a family member, even if it may cost them their initial profits.

Cancelling orders

Cancelling orders is always problematic, especially if it's done last minute. Imagine spending hours baking a cake and after finishing, your relative calls and says they no longer want it. The thing is, it is already more than nerve wracking when serving a relative as a customer.

Even the slightest "inconsiderate behaviour" on your part may just be the hot topic at any future dawaat. When you know a customer on a regular basis and they have a legitimate reason for cancelling, it may be understandable. However, doing so over and over can cause the businessperson in question to suffer from losses.

This especially applies when another customer wanted the same thing you ordered, but the product was kept for you on a first-come-first-serve basis.

Rescheduling deliveries

When delivering a product, whether by personnel from the business in question or by separate delivery companies, deliveries are often done area-wise for convenience. Rescheduling deliveries can prove to be a hassle, especially if customers do so as an excuse to not take the product.

This gets even worse if you know a relative is at home, but the delivery person is called to inform you saying that they are not. Why make things unnecessarily awkward? It is always best to not order if you are not sure whether you can pay for the product, or to be direct about delivery dates if you're worried about any changes to your plans of being at home.

Opening a new business can be daunting as is, and it is true that support from your loved ones can help make things better, even during the most confusing and frustrating times of your career as a businessperson. But such support should only be offered with the best intentions, in a way any other regular, well-mannered customer would have. 

Bushra Zaman likes books, art, and only being contacted by email. Contact her at [email protected]