MBA2618 Q&A Wednesday: How Do I Start a Business If My Family Thinks it's a Bad Idea?

Ever feel like your family just doesn’t get your dream of starting a business? Their doubts and concerns can be heavy, and they might even make you second-guess whether you’re on the right track. If this sounds familiar, this question from Anil hits close to home—and this lesson is here to help. Omar dives into the tricky topic of starting a business when your family isn’t on board. He’ll shed light on why their protective instincts kick in, how to respect their concerns without taking on their limits, and—best of all—how to get them on your team as you build your business step by step. From sharing your wins to turning skepticism into support, Omar lays out practical, actionable steps to keep you motivated and bring your family along for the ride. Curious to see how you can turn their “Are you sure?” into “We’re proud of you”? Hit the play button at the top of the page and get ready to build your business—with your family cheering you on! To submit your questions, visit 100mba.net/q. Watch the episodes on YouTube: https://lm.fm/GgRPPHiSUBSCRIBEYouTube | Apple Podcast | Spotify | Podcast Feed

• 0:00Speaker 00

  What do I gift my mom and nieces?

• 0:01Speaker 01

  Walmart has top brands you know, like Ninja, Disney, Lego.

• 0:08Speaker 00

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• 0:09Speaker 01

  Sonos can bring his songs to life. What sound that hits just right.

• 0:16Speaker 00

  And my coffee-obsessed bestie?

• 0:17Speaker 01

  Delongi Brews Coffee, right for mornings extra bright.

• 0:21Speaker 00

  All those great brands at Walmart? Who knew?

• 0:23Speaker 01

  We knew, now you do too.

• 0:26Speaker 02

  Shop gifts no love at Walmart.

• 0:31Speaker 03

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• 1:00Speaker 04

  What if the people closest to you, your family, don't believe in your business dreams? They love you, they want to protect you. But that same love can feel like the biggest weight on your shoulders. If you've ever felt like your family just doesn't get it, this one is for you.

• 1:21Speaker 04

  Welcome back to the $100 MBA Show. I'm your host, Omar Zenhome, where I deliver practical business lessons three times a week, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, to help you start, grow, and scale your business.

• 1:34Speaker 04

  Look, this is not about bad intentions. Your family genuinely believes a traditional job is the safest path to financial security. Because that's what they know. That's what they worked with all their life. This is what they saw in front of them growing up. It's survival logic. Job equals food on the table. Job equals health insurance. Job equals safety net. You can fill in the blanks. So when you start talking about quitting your job or building a business, it's natural for them to panic. It's natural for them to feel worried. Not because they don't believe in you, but because they're afraid for you. And honestly, I get it. I feel for your family. This isn't about convincing. It's about showing. You don't need to start a debate. You don't need to argue about this. You don't need to win

• 2:17Speaker 04

  them over with logic or a TED Talk on entrepreneurship, right? What you want to do is you want to live out your journey out loud. Let them see it happening. Educate them throughout your experience. Let them know, "Hey, I'm not quitting my job and just throwing caution at the wind. I'm just using some of my earnings and the weekends to explore a business idea." Share little wins. I made my first sale. That's something that you should definitely share with your family, right? "I made $100. I made $1,000. I helped somebody build something or create something." And then share the progress. "This month I made $1,000. Next month I made $2,000. Next month I made $5,000." Now, it's not as much as your paycheck, but it's good for them to feel that there is progress

• 3:01Speaker 04

  and that there is another way to earn money outside of a job. And slowly, without forcing anything, they'll see your momentum. They'll realize that you're not being reckless, you're being resourceful, and you are taking calculated risks. You're not just throwing your whole life away. You're building something on the side to see how it goes. I think it's important for you to respect your family's fear. You want to respect their caution. It just makes sense on their side of things, but don't adopt their limits. Over time, your progress will begin to chip away at the belief that a job is the only way to be financially stable. You might find them asking questions like, "Wait, you made $3,000

• 3:43Speaker 04

  this month, working on your business on the side for just six hours a week? How did you do that?" They might ask questions like, "So what if you had 40 hours a week?" But they won't ask any of these questions if you don't share your progress. And that's how it starts. The doubt starts to creep in, not the doubt in you, but in their old beliefs. And guess who helped them get there? You did, by showing them, not telling them. No one wants to be lectured, but if they can see without a shadow of a doubt that there is progress, that there is hope, that there is another way, they convince themselves rather than you trying to convince them.

• 4:22Speaker 05

  How can I remember to invest every month?

• 4:26Speaker 06

  With the Fidelity app, you can choose a schedule and set up recurring investments in stocks and ETFs.

• 4:32Speaker 05

  Oh, that sounds easier than I thought.

• 4:34Speaker 06

  You got this.

• 4:35Speaker 05

  Yeah, I do. Now, where did I put my keys?

• 4:40Speaker 06

  You will find them where you left them.

• 4:44Speaker 05

  Investing involves risk, including risk of loss. Fidelity Brokerage Services, LLC, member NYSE, SIPC.

• 4:50Speaker 05

  What do I gift my mom at Nises?

• 4:52Speaker 01

  Walmart has top brands you know, like Ninja, Disneyland.

• 4:59Speaker 05

  Oh, Dad loves music.

• 5:00Speaker 01

  Sonos can bring his songs to life with sound that hits just right.

• 5:07Speaker 05

  And my coffee-obsessed bestie?

• 5:08Speaker 01

  They love he brews coffee right for mornings extra bright.

• 5:12Speaker 05

  All those great brands at Walmart? Who knew?

• 5:14Speaker 01

  We knew, now you do too.

• 5:17Speaker 03

  Shop gifts no love at Walmart.

• 5:22Speaker 04

  So, like I mentioned, the only way this works is that you share your journey. You must share your journey. Don't keep your business journey to yourself. Share the wins, share the struggles, right? Let them know when you had a bad day or when things don't actually work out. Obviously, this is as a side hustle, right? They know that you have the security of the job, but it's good for you to share the wins and the struggles and let them see the ups and downs of your business to understand that, hey, you are putting in a lot of effort to make this happen. You're taking this seriously. You're putting your name out there and you are willing to take the blows in order to get some wins. Now, this is not just for their sake, it's for yours, because building something in the shadows alone, that's isolating, that's hard, and there's no reason to do that.

• 6:07Speaker 04

  But sharing the journey, if you do this, even if they don't fully understand it yet, it brings them along for the ride. They start to buy in and eventually you'll be surprised how supportive they'll start becoming. They just need to see it to believe it. The bottom line is that entrepreneurship is a way of life, okay? And it's like you're trying to convince somebody that, you know, exercise is good. And they want... Won't really believe that exercise is good in their bones where they'll continue to exercise every day until they actually see the benefits of exercise themselves. Experience is the number one way people change. They have an experience and their beliefs change and therefore their actions change. Come at it with a sense of love and support

• 6:52Speaker 04

  and understanding. See it from their perspective, but at the same time, do what you gotta do to see some progress and share that progress with them. Listen, I get it. You might feel like, "I don't need their permission to start something. I should be able to do what I want to do in my free time." I understand that feeling and that argument, but you may as well earn their blessing through your progress, through your journey. It's good to have people on side to make things easier on you. Trust me, it's really hard to do this on your own against everybody. Make sure that their fears are heard as well as addressed. Believe in yourself enough to get the ball rolling because belief is contagious. They'll start to see things progress.

• 7:34Speaker 04

  Even if your family doesn't believe in your dream yet, they will start to believe in you as they see things moving along. And one day, they'll be proud of how far you've come. Empathize with their situation, but also understand that you need to include them in your journey. That was a question from Anil. If you have a question you want to ask here on the $100 MBA Show, just send it over at 100mba.net/ q. There's a form you can fill out and you can get your question answered right here on the podcast. And don't forget, if you want to go deeper and build your business with me, you could subscribe to our Three Things newsletter. Every week, I send you three things. One, something to think about,

• 8:17Speaker 04

  something to change your mindset. Two, something to do to see yourself moving forward every day. And number three, something to learn, something to enhance your skill set. It's how I coach you from afar. It's absolutely free. Just go to 100mba.net and sign up for any of our free guides and you'll get added to our newsletter automatically. I'm Omar Zenhome and I'll see you in the next one. Keep going. It's your turn to start turning things around.

• 8:49Speaker 07

  Building a portfolio with Fidelity Basket Portfolios is kinda like making a sandwich. It's as simple as picking your stocks and ETFs, sorta like your meats and other toppings, and managing it as one big juicy investment.

• 9:05Speaker 07

  Mmm, now that's pretty good. Learn more at fidelity.com/baskets. Investing involves risk, including risk of loss. Fidelity Brokerage Services, LLC, member SIPC.