Quit being a freeloader off your friends and family that own their own business.

The biggest early indicator to a SMB success is how the nearest friends and family react.

Do they move heaven and earth to push business to the entrepreneur, or do they feel entitled to discounts and special treatment.

If your first thought after hearing your friend started a carpet cleaning business is that you’ll get free service you’re an entitled jerk.

My first business was printing tshirts in high school. Friends of mine had parents that owned their own restaurants and they went out of their way to give me an opportunity to do shirts for them. Always paying full retail.

Without this support I’d never get the confidence to continue my entrepreneurial journey.

Those of us with the opportunity to award contracts to new business owners have a duty to go out of our way to accommodate. Yes, it’s more work to handle multiple vendors but sometimes it’s about more than you.