Mompreneur Part 2 :: How to Support Your Friend’s Small Business

In Part 1, I talked about balancing life, motherhood and entrepreneurship. In this post, I want to share different ways friends can support the mompreneurs in their circle.

When I became a stay-at-home mom, I needed a hobby that was, well, just for me. I had chosen to put my career on hold for a short time (or a decade +) but still longed for something “adult” to do besides laundry. I started painting for fun and soon so many of my friends were asking me to paint for them as well. I inadvertently became a small business owner thanks to my friends’ who encouraged and supported me.

MOMPRENEUR: a woman who is balancing the roles of motherhood and entrepreneurship.

It has been an absolute joy to see many of my friends become mompreneurs! From my own experiences, I try my best to support them in any way that I can from offering tips and tricks that I’ve learned, to following them on social media, to sometimes purchasing their products or service (not out of obligation, but because I really like what they do or sell!). If your friend has started a small business, here are some great ways to support her that will not only encourage her, but also help her business grow.

Join her e-mail list.

As much as I don’t like to count numbers of people who follow me (though that’s apparently how we gauge success these days), I get genuinely giddy when one of my friends subscribes to my e-mails. It’s a small way of showing support and (hopefully) she won’t flood your inbox. It does help her if you open those e-mails too because she gets a monthly, weekly, or daily status report on clicks and opens.

Share her social media posts.

With social media algorithms constantly changing, it’s near impossible to get the word out about new businesses without a “like,” comment and share. This is why you see so many giveaways that ask you to do just that. You don’t have to do it every time, but it’d be such a kind gesture to your friend to comment on her business page and share it on your own.

Ask her how it’s going.

You have no idea how much it means when a friend is interested to hear how your business is going. When you’re neck deep in, it really is constantly on your mind. I try to hold back talking about it with friends too much so it doesn’t come across as that’s all I ever talk about. I’m grateful for good friends who have supported me and prompt the conversation.

Refer your friends and family to her.

Word of mouth is really the best form of marketing for small businesses. Customers are more likely to do business with established connections than with a stranger they find online. Go ahead, talk her up!

Give her business a good rating and review.

Just like word of mouth, ratings and reviews do wonders to boost business! People want to hear what customers thought about the product or service. Good ratings and reviews are gold for business these days!

Become a customer.

I would hope that your friend would never expect this of you, but if you truly are interested in her products or services for yourself, try them out! If she bakes, go to her for birthday parties. If she sells skincare, test out one of her products.

If you don’t have a huge budget, but you do want to support her monetarily, host a party, stalk her sales and discount pages, try one of her less expensive products, go to her for Christmas and birthday gifts instead of Target (#shopsmall), etc.

Never expect a discount or take advantage of discounts she offers you.

If your friend offers you a friends-and-family discount, do not expect that for every purchase or for every product.

If your friend does a craft (baking, painting, refurbishing, etc.), pay her what her time is worth. The time she is spending working on your order is time taken away from household chores and family. If she generously offers you a low friend cost, give her a good tip for her services. If you think her prices are high, applaud her for that! Because your friend values her time and talents and that is extremely hard for many of us to do.

If you are also a mompreneur, look for ways to work together.

You each have a different set of skills, so think outside of the box on ways you can help each other out! Co-host a pop-up shop together. Plan a giveaway together (“Like, share comment on both pages for a chance to win!”). Do a business exchange: you design her logo and she bakes a cake for your next kid’s birthday party, for example. Make sure it’s an even trade where you both equally benefit and don’t get yourselves into a situation where you are indebted to each other. It can make for a rocky relationship, but there are healthy ways to work together if you value each other’s time and talents.

Be honest with her and give feedback.

Do you have any tips that would help her out? Is she sending too many/not enough e-mails? Does she need to change the angle on her live videos (helloooo, double chin!)? Does she have food in her teeth? Did you find her latest post relatable and a good read? Is she talking too much about her business that you feel that that’s all you ever hear? Is she improving in her craft? Did the cake she baked taste like cardboard or was it the best darn cake you’ve ever tasted in your life? Some things may be hard for her to hear, but if it would help her business or help your friendship, then gentle voice your opinion to her. But do it in a kind and loving way.

Give her grace.

Having a business is overwhelming and it takes a lot of hard work to get everything done. Chances are there’s another area of her life that she isn’t able to keep up with because she is spending her day working from home and her night being a mom (sometimes vice versa or a mix of both). Sometimes that means instead of a girl’s night, she’s spending some much-needed down time with her family. So if she doesn’t answer a call or text right away, give her grace. If she skips out on a play date or lunch, invite her to the next event or suggest another time to reschedule. Once she gets in her groove and learns how to manage her time, she’ll be itching to relax and catch up with friends!

If you are a mompreneur, what are some ways your friends support you? If your friend owns her own business, how do you support her?

 

Casey Hilty
Casey Hilty has been married for over 12 years to her beau, Bo, and has three kids ages 11, 9 and 6. She is a published author and just released her first book Her Children Arise - a Bible study for moms. She is an active member of The Bayou Church and leads a Bible study group for moms called MOMentum. Casey is also an artist and member of the L’Acadian Art Guild. Her family shares a passion for the people and culture of Haiti and Casey and her husband lead annual mission trips there. The Hilty Family lives on a small (itty bitty, teeny tiny) “farm” in New Iberia with their kids, dog, cats, goats, a bunch of chickens and one rooster. You can follow Casey on Instagram @caseyhilty or on her website at www.caseyhilty.com.