Top tips for working with your best mate this Best Friends Day
Working with your best mate could get messy but for entrepreneur pals Jack Griffiths and Joel Pierre it’s the key to their business success.
When the pair sold sweets to their friends on the school playground, they could never have predicted the entrepreneurial path they were embarking upon. Fast-forward 15 years and the pair, both 25, launched Snuggy; a luxury loungewear company now adored by celebrities and influencers across the UK which is set to turnover more than £10 million in its first five years.
For National Best Friends Day (Tuesday, June 8) they’ve pulled together their three top tips for anyone considering starting a business with a mate.
Keep business and pleasure completely separate.
We’ve learnt to keep it professional when we’re in the office and get on with our work and vice versa, when we’re out of the office, we’ve learnt not to talk about work. The office is for working and the pub is for drinking – don’t mix the two!
Never let heated discussions turn into an argument.
We know that we’re both passionate about the business and want what’s best, so if we’ve got different ideas, we know it’s not that we’re against each other, we just both think differently. Be open minded and listen to each other, hear each other out – you might see things differently. And always admit when you’re wrong and apologise so you can move on quickly.
Pick your business partner carefully.
We’ve been best friends since we were in primary school, our families know each other and we trust each other 100 per cent. You need strong communication and trust when running a business together otherwise it won’t work. Be really careful which friend you embark on the adventure with – it’s not for everyone.
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