Business is important and it is absolutely essential to keep it on a professional level. There are dangers in doing business with family and friends. The nuances of a friend or family relationship can be especially dangerous because they often do not have the expertise that professionals in the business can have. Here are more reasons why you should do business with professionals and not friends and family:
- You’ll get a timely product. Businesses predicate themselves on deadlines. This alone makes good business sense, but in dealing with friends and family, it is common for them to take advantage of the relationship and become a little lax in this way. They’ll often have jobs and other commitments that take them away from your project. Leaving it on a professional level, they are bound to that deadline and you are a priority in that way.
- You get what you pay for. It is unlikely that friends and family have software or the tools needed to provide an excellent service. There is likely more reason they are charging you “low cost” or no cost. Someone can claim to be an “expert” in something but that isn’t always the case. They could be using you as a springboard or some might even use you to see how they’ll like doing it. Leaving it to the professionals is certain to get you better results, sometimes in even quicker than you would expect at a price that’s reasonable and fair.
- Documentation becomes a problem. You want to know you’re actually getting a service. This means there is a form of documentation that is required. Any service of work is important and regardless of whether they paid you or not, you are still owed a statement of work. This could come back and bite you when the time is needed, especially around tax season.
- Business becomes lax. At the end of the day, you still have a business to run. As such, you are less likely to be business oriented with a friend or family if they are not producing the results you desire. This becomes an underlying issue in regard to the quality of work you receive. You will undoubtedly be in a position where your business needs professionals that can give you the final product you need.
Let business be business and let your personal life be your personal life. That will provide the best results for everyone. Your business is important to you and you have calculated every opportunity and logistical circumstance for your business. Don’t leave all of that planning to chance. Put your needs in the hand of a professional.