Successful business owners, did the people around you support your endeavors?

I support your wife’s onlyfans

I didn't really ask anyone in my circle if they supported it or not. Didn't matter. I was going to do what I had to do. Very thankful I took the chance.

I think about this a lot. I want to start my own business but am terrified of failing.

Most entrepreneurs I know were either very supported by their parents (just in general and therefore believed in themselves and had self confidence) or one or both of their parents were business owners/entrepreneurs so that was the norm for them.

Not saying this is true for everyone, but it’s true for most people I personally know who have their own business.

If you fail so what?

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I firmly believe if you want it to work, it will work.

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You have to be all in. I gave up my corporate job and benefits and I told myself there is no plan b, c or d. Had to figure out a way to make it work.

When my first business attempt failed my dad, who had the same job for like 20 years at that point, told me to give up and get a steady job.

Later on, he was my biggest cheerleader but he never understood my desire to own a business. He grew up poor and believed in the stability of a steady job. He never took any risks but always made sure we had everything we needed.

I got my ambition from my mom's side which is full of business owners.

Sounds familiar.

Both sides of the family have successful startup businesses that produced millionaires (Tire shop in a new suburb 1980, air conditioning supply 1984, Dry Cleaning 1985, electrical supply 1988, another family member dry cleaning 1991, real estate company 2006 (still thriving), laundromats 2007)

But that’s more the boomer generational group. All their children work for other people.

Over the holidays, when speaking to the newer generations, there was a common theme of being discouraged from starting anything on their own and only received support if it was to step into their parents business or working for someone else.

It’s just a little peculiar to me. I’m older and established in my career, but hearing those in their early 20s speaking about it, it really kind of hit home to me because I remember experiencing that same negativity about ventures that I wanted to open that they were emphatically against. (Burrito shop 5 years before Zippy’s, a $95K ghetto condo now trendy worth $1.2M today & a $185K home worth $900K today, “don’t buy it, you’ll regret it”, a bar for $45K in an area where the just the liquor license is a minimum of $250,000)

I’m doing well, but it makes me wonder what might have been if I had people around me that were more encouraging vs dream killing.

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My question is to those who have successful businesses. I don’t mean financial support, I mean did your family, spouse, friends, “mentally support” your decision to start your own business, or did they try to convince you NOT to risk it? I’m trying to better understand if most people face opposition whenever they want to build something new, or if it’s more personalized….as in “you come from a family of naysaying pessimistic types”. Did your friends and family support you or did you do it despite there gloom & doom cautions?

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Ive started 2...one drained away all my money and 3 years of my life. The next one was very successful.

The first one, I had "cautious support" with more caution than support. I should have listened to those older and wiser. They asked "how will your numbers work" and I just said id make them work. I also got a "strings attached" grant from the city. Worst decision of my life.

The second one ive had a lot of support because its a much better business that has numbers that make sense and I had lots of support. It has changed my life and is very financially successful

Moral of the story: if someone has logical based caution to your idea, listen to them and consider it, especially if they are older and wiser. There are others that are just "9 to 5ers" that are just averse to taking any risk. These peoples opinions are less helpful

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I think about this a lot. I want to start my own business but am terrified of failing.

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Are you single? Have kids?