I’m not really talking about entrepreneurship today. This is one of those real-life blogs, just based on a conversation my wife and I had recently. We’ve been together over 30 years, so we’ve had a lot of associates, and a few real friends , come in and out of our lives.

That conversation made me think about that old Houdini song:

“Friends,  how many of us have them?”

The kind you can truly depend on.

That reflection made me say out loud:

Some people just get coffee.

What does that mean?

It means boundaries are set up based on the relationship. Not everybody gets full access, and they shouldn’t. Some relationships start at the coffee table, in public, in neutral spaces. You meet, you talk, you share, but it starts light. Open. Surface-level.

Sometimes coffee leads to lunch.

Sometimes lunch leads to dinner.

But getting invited to the house? That’s a different level.

And to be honest, I’ve let people in my house, both figuratively and literally,  that I shouldn’t have. But you learn. You grow. Boundaries evolve. And when they do, so does your peace.

This whole thing made me think about how people will identify with this more than they expect. Because when it comes to relationships, boundaries protect the heart. And yeah, you know me, I have to go back to the Word of God.

Think about Jesus. He loved all of His disciples. He spent time with all of them. But who did He invite into His more intimate settings? It was usually John, James, and Peter. That was His inner circle. That was who He let close.

So what does that tell us?

Everyone doesn’t deserve close proximity. Everyone doesn’t get the invite. Everyone doesn’t get the key to your heart or your space. You’ve got to watch people’s fruit. Because the fruit always reveals the root.

I’ll end with this:

Start with coffee, and build from there.

Observe. Discern. Set boundaries.

And be wise about who gets the invite.

God Bless The Entrepreneur®️