Don't do business with friends", this sentence is not only a cliché, but also a truth that has been verified in the long history. For those who plan to work with friends, these words may sound a little inappropriate. However, the facts show that these aphorisms are justified. Next, I will dive into this topic for you from the two aspects of friendship and business cooperation, and propose practical ways to solve these problems.
1. Friendship and business cooperation.
In a perfect world, friendship and business cooperation can coexist perfectly. However, in real life, this idea is unrealistic. As a businessman, if you work with friends, you can get into a lot of trouble. For example, a conflict between trust in friendship and the competitive nature of business can lead to a relationship between the two parties.
On the one hand, a friendship is a gratuitous relationship based on trust, respect and understanding. Friends do not need to maintain this relationship through material exchange or exchange of benefits. Business activities are based on competing for profits, and business activities include reducing costs, gaining market share, increasing profits, and so on. As a result, pure relationships between friends can be eroded by the goals of business activities.
On the other hand, in business activities, people pursue profit and success, which requires participants to have a keen business acumen, a strong sense of competition, and a willingness to put in the effort to achieve the goal. Friends, on the other hand, may be too close to each other and overly dependent on each other, leading to mistakes and tendencies in business decisions.
2. Friends become business partners.
The entanglement of emotions and interests.
When friends become business partners, what was originally a purely emotional relationship becomes complicated. Business decisions can be influenced by personal emotions that prevent them from making objective and informed choices. Business failures or setbacks can also affect the emotional relationship between friends and may even lead to the breakdown of friendships.
Conflict between roles and expectations.
In a friendship, we usually expect the other person to understand and support us. However, in business cooperation, everyone has their own roles and responsibilities. When these roles clash with expectations, it can lead to misunderstandings, resentment, and conflicts.
The problem of benefit distribution and cooperation.
The core of business cooperation is the distribution of benefits. This is often overlooked between friends because of trust and emotional bonds. However, if the distribution of benefits is unfair or the cooperation process is problematic, it is easy to cause contradictions and satisfaction. These problems can disrupt otherwise harmonious friendships or even lead to the breakdown of cooperation.
3. Good Friendship and Business Cooperation: How to Find a Balance.
Focus on communication and coordination.
When doing business between friends, first clarify the roles, responsibilities and expectations of both parties, and never ignore the rights and interests of either party. Set some clear boundaries to avoid emotional factors interfering with business decisions. Through adequate communication, ensure that each other has a clear understanding of the purpose, method and duration of cooperation, and at the same time do not ignore the issue of benefit distribution, and when there are certain problems, communicate immediately to find a solution to the problem.
Fair distribution of benefits.
The core of business cooperation is the distribution of benefits. This is often overlooked between friends because of trust and emotional bonds. However, if the distribution of benefits is unfair or the cooperation process is problematic, it is easy to cause contradictions and dissatisfaction. Therefore, partners should fully consider their respective contributions and risks to reasonably distribute benefits to ensure the smooth progress of cooperation.
Focus on clarity and planning.
In business cooperation, clarity is very important. Excessively intimate relationships between friends can lead to a less clear process of cooperation, so it is important to clarify the responsibilities and roles of each person in business cooperation, set up a clear and unambiguous work plan, and try to avoid "getting lost" or "dividing but not curing".
Independence and respect.
Despite being friends, it is important to maintain independence and respect in business cooperation. This means that everyone should make decisions based on their own judgment and interests, rather than being bound by the emotions of friends. It is necessary to respect each other's opinions and decision-making in order to maintain the harmony and stability of cooperation.
IV. Conclusion. Don't confuse friendship with business collaboration, but don't separate them from each other. In business activities, friends can go hand in hand to pick up problems and opportunities in the market. It is important to consider all situations holistically, focus on communication and mutual understanding, and not ignore the impact of benefit distribution, contribution and risk. Only in a good atmosphere can we achieve more win-win results on the basis of mutual balance between friendship and business.