Title: Doing Business with Friends
“Doing business” with friends (or relatives) always ends up making you lose your friendship,
for it always ultimately results in your either:
1. requiring them to keep the agreement they made, or
2. in their asking you for some indulgence that they are really “not entitled to” in the real world,
and in either case, your friendship is either damaged or lost forever.
My Recommendation:
When asked to do business with a friend, you are “far better off” telling them that “the reason” that you won’t do business with them, is that
“I’d rather keep you as my friend than do business with you”
At first, they will indignantly assure you that “our friendship will never be harmed” but later they will realize that the risk is real and very likely. Don’t do it.
Robert Jorrie,
1991