We love to chant “Support Black businesses,” “Shop small,” or “Buy local,” but when it comes to our friends and family, the approach sometimes shifts. Instead of showing up as paying customers, we might default to asking for favors or expecting special treatment, often without meaning harm. But, what we don’t always realize is that real support means honoring their work, time, and value the same way we would with any other brand we believe in.
If your friend or family member starts a business, the best way to support them is to pay full price. No side deals. No guilt-tripping. No assumptions that proximity equals perks.
Here’s why showing up as a full-paying customer isn’t just supportive, it’s transformative:
1. Their Business Is a Real Business
You wouldn’t walk into Hermès and haggle at the counter, so why do it to someone you know? Your friend or cousin, etc. is putting in real time, money, energy, and risk to build something. Asking them to lower their price just for you sends the message that their work isn’t as valuable as someone else’s and that’s the opposite of support. It minimizes the effort behind their craft.”
Every transaction matters, especially in the early days. Small businesses live and die by their cash flow. Your full-price payment could help them cover rent, buy inventory, or pay a vendor on time. It’s not “just $25,” it’s a vote of confidence and a step toward sustainability.
2. The Real Perk Is Being Prioritized
Instead of asking for a deal, recognize that your proximity to the business owner is a benefit in itself. You might get faster service, customized options, or first dibs on drops or appointments, not because you demanded special treatment, but because they know and trust you.
When you pay full price, you’re not just a client, you’re a supporter with skin in the game. That’s who gets prioritized when business is booming or when slots are limited. Integrity builds loyalty, and loyalty gets remembered.
3. Exposure Doesn’t Always Pay the Bills
Telling a friend you’ll “shout them out” on social media in exchange for a freebie might sound generous, but it’s not the same as real support. If you truly believe in their work, the best endorsement starts with your wallet.
Pay for the product or service first. Then share the love: post about your experience, leave a thoughtful review, tag them in your stories, and recommend them to your network. That kind of organic promotion hits different.
Because if it’s good enough to brag about, it’s good enough to invest in. Exposure is nice, but it’s not a substitute for compensation.
4. It Sets a Standard
When you pay full price, you’re doing more than making a purchase, you’re helping to establish a culture of respect around your friend or family member’s business. You’re showing others that their time, talent, and prices deserve to be honored without hesitation regardless of personal connection.
This kind of support sets a powerful tone. It makes it easier for them to stand firm in their pricing, to say “No, I don’t offer discounts,” and to maintain boundaries without guilt. It tells their other customers, present and future, that their value doesn’t depend on personal relationships.
In a world where small business owners, especially Black and POC entrepreneurs, are constantly asked to justify their worth, your willingness to pay full price becomes an act of affirmation. It’s a quiet, consistent vote of confidence that helps shape how others see and treat them too.
Final Thoughts: Be a Real One
Supporting someone you love doesn’t mean getting a deal. It means understanding the weight of what they’re doing and choosing to help carry it, even when it costs more than you planned. That’s real support.
Paying full price is the new love language. And in the long run, it helps businesses grow stronger, relationships grow deeper, and communities grow wealthier.
So, the next time your friend launches a product or opens their books, don’t ask for a hookup. Ask how you can pay, leave a tip, spread the word, and help get others hooked.
That’s the energy we’re bringing into this season and every season that follows~
Lence in Layers 