Today’s article is inspired by a post on Humans of New York, of a man who learnt the hard way that business and friendship don’t mix.

I always say that if you feel that you have too many friends, and you wish to make that circle smaller, just start a business. Business has a way of revealing to you what people are really made of.

The surest way to send your business on a nosedive is to involve friends.

You may have a brilliant business idea, and the only other person who understands it and sees your vision is a close friend, so you decide to partner and bring this vision to life. Along the way, your friend ends up less committed to the business as they have other things going on, knowing that you’ll “understand” and cover for them.

Just because your relationship is great on a social level doesn’t mean it will be great on a professional level. A friend may seem like a good idea to involve in your business but after they’re on board, you may discover they have traits that will hurt your business.

Now this is where it gets tricky as it is not easy to let go of someone close to you because they’re underperforming. You will keep them on hoping they’ll change and in turn affect the business.

It is also not easy to reprimand a friend in a case of misconduct. You may brush it off only for it to get worse along the way.

Misunderstanding often arises in business. It is easier to solve issues that arise with a stranger, someone you only share a professional relationship with, than a friend because things always get personal. They may feel as if you are attacking them rather than realizing that challenges exist and are normal in business.

Friends can also steal from your business if you put too much trust in them. Picture this: You own an Mpesa shop and employ a friend to run it for ou and at the end of the day, they cannot account for anything. It’s better to hire a qualified stranger who will have a certain degree of fear and respect.

Also, be careful when pitching new products to friends. There are those who will support you and those who will discourage you from following your heart. There are friends who will want freebies, those who will bug you for discounts, those who will fail to pay for purchased goods and those who won’t be interested in your product at all. Therefore, do not count on your friends for complete support when starting a business. Market your products as widely as you can.