This sounds bad but I have divided my business friends from my personal friends. The former will help me with getting a job, get a loan for my business or inform me about something or another or actually help with my business like I would help them. I don’t invite them to my home or hob nob with them at company events outside of the Christmas parties I always get invited to. If they don’t take my advice, so what, I won’t get hurt feelings, I won’t be blamed and I won’t have to deal with it. When I got married, I refused to invite my boss and the other workers because to me it is not their place to be part of my wedding, I don’t really know them and I am unsure how they will behave. I am glad I didn’t invite them because after meeting my boss’s wife, it would have been a disaster.
My personal friends are ones I will bend over backwards to help. If I am on the road ion California and one of them needs serious help, I will come home to help them just like they will help me. We talk about business, we bounce ideas off of each other but we never get involved with the other’s businesses because it always presents problems to all involved – like when they have to fire a friend. If I am asked, they know I will give them my honest raw opinion but they also know if they cry about the problem later, I won’t give the advice again and tell them I won’t talk about it.
Both of these groups simplify life.
