Family Is Not Good For Business...

_{August De Richelieu}

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When it comes to business, it is something that can easily turn friends into enemies and even make brothers hate each other. Because once money is involved, logic usually flies out the window. So do things like selflessness and love. Not all the time though.

One of the things that is crippling the Nigerian economy is the practice of corruption in just about every facet of the economy. This is heavily on people hiring others not for their qualifications or what they are capable of, but instead because of who they are r who they know. This is a sad practice that for some reason is beginning to look like a culture. You would think that this is something that happens only in government and big firms, well, you’ll be shocked to learn that it also happens at the grassroots level as well.

Personally, I’m of the opinion that business and family should never be mixed. Unless the family is also involved in the running of the business. If you have to run a business with your family member, treat it the same way you will run the business with a total stranger. Go through the same process, even though it’s all for a family member. As they would say in the street, “e get why!”

These days, you’ll see someone offering a service, and his brother that would need that service would go to someone else and patronize them. Is this a familiar scenario? Have you ever wondered why?

_{Brett Sayles}

Now, note I’m not speaking for everyone when I say this, but I do believe there is a valid reason for that.

Many times, people try to take advantage of family. Just because your brother owns the supermarket, you feel it’s your right to take things without paying for them. And if they try to ask for their money, you guilt trip them into letting you go. a classic reason why you must never mix family and business.

One reason people will knowingly leave their brother to patronize someone else is that many times they will want to do it for free. In this part of the world, I don’t know who drummed it into our heads that just because they are family doesn’t mean they shouldn’t pay for stuff. But smart people know that not paying for something valuable, devalues it. Whether you like it or not.

This is different from the service being offered as a gift, or if the free-of-charge act is done once. But once it’s continuous, it loses its value. And I for one, I’m not a fan of that. Family or not, I prefer to pay for my stuff. It’s better you give me a discount as a family member than just give it to me free.

The thing is, there are those who will insist on doing it free for you. As a matter of fact, they will see it as an insult if you insist on paying them for their service. But then, they fail to understand that even though the service may be free, it binds you. When you get something for free, you can’t complain about it. What you see is what you get, and when you get it! That’s just how it is.

_{Keira Burton}

If the person gives you a wack service, you can’t complain about it because it’s free and they’re only doing you a “favor”. If they are delaying delivery, you have to be patient until they decide to give you time. Because nine times out of ten, service providers will answer their paying customers before their free-of-charge customers. And it doesn’t matter if they insisted you get it for free.

But then, when you pay, you’ll have the moral ground to demand good performance. Even if you got it at a discount, you’ll still be able to air your displeasure. If the work done is bad, you can complain and demand either a refund or a reworking. Then, it will be your money speaking for you. So, to avoid all this, many people prefer to simply take their patronage elsewhere. So, if things went wrong, they could go after them without feeling guilty.

But then, this also works with businesses and government offices being handed over based on connections. When you put someone that's unqualified in a position just because the person is your cousin when the person runs the organization to the ground or destroys its reputation you would not be able to blame them. Because when you were placing them there, you knew they were not good enough.

So you see how these things trap us. Now, I’m not saying we should not patronize our family members, if you require the service they offer, please do that. But do not demand freebies, they need to run the business. And also, make sure to pay for the services. Maybe the first one could be free, based on family and all, but for subsequent ones, you must put something down to help the ministry. Believe me, that way everyone will be happy.

It’s bad when money comes in between family members, but it's only because we allow it to. If we stop claiming rights and focus on giving everyone their due, it will be easier for everyone to coexist, even if money is in the mix.

So, take care, everyone. Love your families, and don’t let something as mundane as money break you guys.

_{August De Richelieu}

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_{Thank you for reading. Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section below, I would love to know what you are thinking. Till we meet in the next post.}

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