#432: Navigating True Friendships As An Entrepreneur

Why I keep my business close and my friends even closer I love my friends. I mean, L-O-V-E. I am so beyond grateful for them -- they understand me, I understand them, and they’re the type of people I know always have my back. But as you’ll hear in this episode, this hasn’t always been the case. It’s taken many years, lots of tears, and countless hard conversations to get to a place where I am 100% confident that the friends I have in my life are MY PEOPLE. Let me back up a bit and explain why. As an entrepreneur, friendships can be especially tough. Even friendships that you’ve had for years can take a big turn when you make the decision to ditch the 9 to 5 and commit to growing a business. Your priorities and conversations shift when you become an entrepreneur -- your business is your baby, after all. Instead of catching up on the latest episode of Billions over skinny spicy margaritas at happy hour, you’re now rapid-fire texting your friend about your upcoming product launch, or your new copywriter that just can’t seem to nail your brand’s voice.  Over time, this dynamic can wear on a relationship. At some point, you feel like your friend starts to resent you, judges your decisions, or simply isn’t interested in what you have to say anymore. Can you relate? And if your friends are ALSO entrepreneurs, that’s a whole different ballgame that’s equally as tricky to navigate.  Regardless of if your friend is a 9 to 5er or an entrepreneur like you, it’s not that you don’t love them or aren’t grateful for having them in your life. It’s that friendships have seasons, and if I’ve learned anything over the last 14 years of having my own business, it’s totally ok to move on – sometimes it’s the best thing we can do to grow. In this episode, I’ll get really deep about my own friendships, and share with you: What I’ve learned about navigating friendships as an entrepreneur The qualities I look for in a friend, and why How I know it’s time to move on from a friendship or lean into it  I even open up about something I’ve NEVER talked about on the podcast -- the challenges I’ve had being a boss to my best friend in the world (and former CMO), Chloe -- my Cho Cho. This shortie episode is SUPER personal and near and dear to my heart, so I hope you enjoy listening. Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts "I love Amy and Online Marketing Made Easy."