By Sarah E. Needleman
If family or friends can’t afford to loan you start-up capital – a topic highlighted in my latest Accidental Entrepreneur column — they may be able to help in other ways.
Case in point: When Cameo Person goes to a client’s home or office, she rarely has to worry about finding someone to look after her five-year-old daughter. Ms. Person’s mother will usually baby sit. “That is a big help,” she says.
Ms. Person, 30, owns VIP Mobile Day Spa, a business she started about a year ago to supplement her income as a hotel sales manager. In April, she was let go from that job and now offers on-site spa services on a full-time basis.
“I could not do what I do without her,” says Ms. Person, referring to her mother.
To show her appreciation, Person gives her mom free massages and helps with groceries. A friend also sometimes watches her daughter, and Person returns the favor the same way or by babysitting the friend’s son when she can.
Family and friends may also be able to help by tapping their business connections on your behalf. For example, Eric Ersher says a friend who works in the movie industry introduced him to a prop master, which resulted in his small business, Zoup! Fresh Soup Company, getting referenced in two Hollywood films – “Meet Monica Velour” (2011) and “Cripple” (coming to theaters soon.)
“From a cultural perspective, the Zoup franchise owners loved seeing the Zoup brand up on the big screen,” says Ersher, who started the soup chain in 1998. Today, it has 40 employees and 33 stores, 30 of which are franchises. Another 10 franchises are in development.
Ersher says he first made sure that he wouldn’t hurt his friendship by asking his childhood buddy if his company could get some star power. “I did call his assistant in advance and asked, ‘Would it be inappropriate to make this request?’ ” says Ersher. “If I felt it would have taken away from his business in any way, I wouldn’t have asked.”
Ersher also prepared himself for rejection from his friend. “If it was not a fit for whatever reason, if he would’ve said ‘Sorry, maybe next time,’ I would’ve respected that,” he says.
