How to Tell Others of Your Plans to Work For Yourself
If you decide a career in Internet marketing is where you’re headed, one of your most difficult challenges will probably be in explaining your decision to the people in your life.
To this day, no one understands what I do – they all connect the words “Internet marketing” to spammer – you can’t blame them for their ignorance. But while you may not care once you’re successful, it can be intimidating answering the questions, “What do you do?” when you’re first getting started and have nothing to show for it yet.
Sadly, friends and family are not always as supportive as you’d like when they learn you’re starting a home-based business. This is partially due to basic brainwashing.
Mainstream society doesn’t believe in anything that isn’t taught in grade school, endorsed by the evening news, and understood at the water cooler as status quo behavior.
Another reason people might have negative things to say when you tell them you’re starting a home business is the simple fact that misery loves company. If your friends and family are all stuck in jobs they don’t particularly like, and if they aren’t making the kind of money they would prefer to have, they might resent your efforts to better yourself.
Of course, no one would ever say that, but think about dieters. You can be dieting to lose weight and you go out to lunch with your best friends and what do they do? They start talking you into those cheese fries and death by chocolate dessert.
And there’s another reason why you might get a less than enthusiastic response – your loved ones genuinely care about you (and your family). They may be afraid for you to walk away from the security of your job – or maybe they’re just scared you’ll get into multi-level marketing and hound them to join your downline at all the family events (I kid, I kid).
Seriously - this is something you’ll need to be prepared for. If you have a very supportive family and group of friends like I did, be grateful. Otherwise, use the information below to minimize drama when telling the people in your life about your pending career change.
Telling Your Significant Other
If you have a spouse, girlfriend or boyfriend, you should discuss your decision with them ahead of time. Tell them with confidence you’ve decided to better yourself and create a brighter future for both of you.
Sit down with them and go over the specific material that had an impact on your decision to choose an Internet business over other possible ventures. Let them see why this is the right choice, and help them become excited about it along with you.
Other family members may question your partner about your decision, and it’s important that you help them prepare for the interrogation. Agree on a few basic terms, benefits, and positive statements to use in conversation with other family members when referring to your new business.
Be prepared before you blurt out, “I’m quitting my job to work from home!” They’re going to want to feel secure in this plan, too – so make sure you explain how much research you’ve done, what your odds of success are, and how the two of you will revisit the situation and milestones you reach over time.
Also, your significant other needs to join you in the business frame of mind. It might take a while (as in several months) for your enterprise to start making money - and they should be well aware of this fact.
I was lucky – my husband agreed about me not returning to work and we were both thrilled when my income skyrocketed and I was able to stay home, raise our son (who’s now healthy, thanks for asking) and I even got to work from home while pregnant with my daughter and raise her with no daycare or sitters.
If you have kids, this is a real perk you can mention to those who ask – you’re working at home to be able to raise your kids yourself! Who can argue with that?
Telling Parents and Family
Parents and elderly relatives sometimes don’t understand why a person would leave a paying job to start their own home business. They view such efforts as foolish, and may even believe you’ve been “taken” by some sort of scam.
Try to tell yourself they mean well when they pressure you to give up and get a “real job.” The bottom line is, you’re an adult and you’ve made a decision. They can either support you, or you’ll need to limit discussions about this topic whenever you’re around them.
Internet marketers don’t need seeds of self-doubt planted in their minds. They have enough pressure on themselves as it is. Protect yourself from criticism.
Telling Friends and Other Associates
Your true friends will tell you that they believe in you (even when they don’t) because they want to share in your enthusiasm. A legitimate friend won’t call you a “spammer” (many people think this about everyone who works online) or otherwise give you a hard time.
You should feel free to be open with your friends and associates about what you’re doing. To be honest, who cares if they have a problem with it? If there are people in your life who offer negative insight about your new profession, you should ask yourself a simple question:
Does what this person thinks really matter? If they actively try to harm my enthusiasm, do I really need to have them in my life?
As you walk the entrepreneur path, you’ll discover that you’re best served by associating with other motivated, positive individuals. You’ll find yourself increasingly impatient with negative people, and will have little or no desire to be around them.