To help with a friend’s business?

[SockySockySockSock]

My friend wants to start a business and it seems a very good idea that he has. he’d be doing it along side her full time job to see if it takes off.
he isn’t very tech savvy. I know how to create websites and do some marketing. I am excited by his idea, and could find time to help.
Maybe nothing will come of it, or maybe it’ll be success.
I have a full time job too. Is it unwise of me to offer to do the website and handle the social media accounts for him? DW cautioned me that I could spent a lot of time and energy and not get anything back, even if it went well for him.

It’s one thing to offer to create the web site and suggest some early marketing strategies but it’s another entirely to offer to handle the social media accounts etc. It will easily become totally consuming and the expectation will be that you continue to do more and more and may well put a strain on your friendship as you wont always be able to put his business first.

I would think about this in the context of being asked to do voluntary work for a charity - yes you have the skills and it’s great to help others with them to achieve their aims but how much time and effort are you prepared to give to that charity and what would the boundaries be so that it doesn’t adversely impact on your home / personal life. Nothing will upset home more quickly than pulling out of activities, not being present etc. because you are doing freebie stuff for someone else.

If you do decide to help your friend with his idea , and clearly you are excited by it, you will need to set some clear boundaries about what you will / can do and can’t do so both of you are clear on this.

Don't mix business with friendships , it never ends well.

I think you need to set some firm boundaries, financial and legal Really firm.

I think it’s kind of you to consider it but I would think about the long term commitment and have clear boundaries about what is expected. Could you not offer to make him a website for a cost and then leave everything else for him to sort? You have a full time job too.

You really need to be careful. You could end up working all hours for no pay and no financial interest in the company. Once you start, things will be expected e.g. if you start to create the website you will be expected to finish it even if you don't want to at that point. you could easily lose a good friendship over this.

Maybe offer to help create a website for him and the leave it at that. Running social media accounts is time consuming as is marketing. He should really be doing all that himself anyway so he can engage with anyone interested, potential customers etc. Mixing friendship and business often doesn't end well. If he wants to take on a side business on top of his regular job that's up to him, don't go taking his work on with your own job too. Has he being hinting at all the work you could do for him?

1). Never mix business and friendship.
2). Be explicit about what you can offer in the way of level of advice, product provided, hours, difficulty, rewrites, modifications, due dates. Explicit. And be prepared to be strict.
3). Decide in your price, whether it be nothing or $1000.
4). Don’t offer. Wait until he comes to you.
5). Is it worth losing your friendship over?

OP, in situations like this friendship can very quickly be forgotten as well as the free service being provided.
Suddenly you have someone treating you like an employee/paid contractor....full of expectations an very little if any gratitude.
Thankless.
If it goes tits up it will be YOU who will have offered.

Thank you. You’ve all confirmed my concerns x