“Eh, kenapa kawan sendiri tak support bisnes kita ya?”
That question used to haunt me. When I first launched FAVORIOT, I genuinely believed my first supporters would be the people closest to me — ex-colleagues, industry friends, fellow alumni, even family. They knew my journey, my passion, my sacrifices. Surely they’d be the first to sign up or share the word, right?
Wrong.
What actually happened?
It was strangers.
Total strangers.
People I never met, never had teh tarik with, never sat on the same conference panel — they were the ones who registered on our platform, joined our trainings, and even told others about us. I was puzzled at first. Then, a little disappointed. Then curious.
And now? I understand. Strangers are often your best and truest customers.
Let me explain why.
1. Strangers Don’t Know You — And That’s a Good Thing
Wait… what?
Yes. Strangers don’t know you personally, and that’s precisely why they can trust your product more objectively.
Your friends and family see you through the lens of personal memories — they remember the time you made that bad joke at the wedding, or when you flunked your first job, or how you always took the safe route. You, to them, are not a business. You’re a “bro,” “adik,” “sir,” or “uncle.”
So when you suddenly pivot and say, “I’m launching an IoT platform for smart cities,” their brain glitches a little.
“Huh? Dia boleh ke buat ni?”
Meanwhile, strangers judge you purely on what you present today. They don’t care about your past karaoke fails or awkward teenage phase. They see your landing page, your pitch, your clarity. That’s it.
They evaluate your offering, not your origin story.
2. Strangers Don’t Owe You Anything — Which Means Their Support Is Pure
This is where it gets even more interesting.
Friends sometimes want to support you — but they overthink it.
They don’t want to be seen as biased. They feel awkward asking for discounts. Or worse… they assume they’ll get it for free.
Strangers? They come in with no emotional baggage. No expectations. No history.
They want a solution. They see you offering one. They buy.
Simple.
No drama. No, “Nanti lah bro, aku tengah tight.” No, “Support-support tapi boleh free ka?”
“Would I do that to a stranger?”
No. That’s why strangers make better customers. They treat your business like a business.
3. The Trust is Earned, Not Assumed
With people who know you, there’s often an invisible hierarchy of roles.
You’re the junior. The class clown. The reliable IT guy. The academic.
Suddenly, you say you’re the CEO of a startup? That role doesn’t match their stored mental image of you.
It’s not malice. It’s memory.
Whereas with strangers, your LinkedIn profile is your identity. Your pitch deck is your first impression. You start from zero — and you build up trust.
And trust that’s earned is far stronger than trust that’s assumed or inherited.
4. Strangers Spread the Word Faster
It shocked me — the most virality FAVORIOT got wasn’t from my own alumni network. It was from strangers who stumbled upon our blog, tested the platform, and raved about it on their own channels.
Why?
Because strangers are hungry for something that works. And when it works, they want others to know they found it first.
Your close friends?
They might still be trying to “figure out what you’re doing.” Or too shy to post about you — “Nanti orang cakap aku biased pulak.”
I say, give me a thousand strangers over ten overthinking friends.
5. Familiarity Breeds… Hesitation
Here’s the paradox.
The more people know about your past, the harder it is for them to believe in your future potential.
When I transitioned from academic life to startup founder, there were people who couldn’t bridge that mental gap. “Mazlan? The MIMOS guy? Dia buat startup ke sekarang?”
They hesitated.
But when I met fresh faces at expos, conferences, or online — they didn’t carry that baggage. All they saw was a man passionate about IoT, solving a problem. Period.
And they said yes.
6. Friends Wait For You to Make It. Strangers Help You Make It.
It sounds harsh. But it’s true.
Friends often support you when it’s safe.
When you’re already on stage. When you’ve already raised a round. When others already validate you.
Strangers, on the other hand, often jump in before the spotlight.
They’re the ones who say:
- “I believe in your idea.”
- “Let’s try it.”
- “Your story resonates with me.”
They’re not doing it out of obligation. They’re doing it out of alignment. And that’s the customer you want.
7. You’re Not in the Business of Convincing Friends
This was a big mindset shift for me.
“Shouldn’t I be convincing my old buddies to try FAVORIOT?”
No.
Your job isn’t to sell to friends. Your job is to build something so good that even strangers trust it. And ironically, that’s when friends finally take notice.
Build for strangers. Serve them well. And over time, your friends will quietly hop onboard — when they see you’ve built something real.
8. It’s Not Betrayal. It’s Just Human Nature
One final note — don’t take it personally.
I used to feel hurt. “Why are people who barely know me supporting me more than those I’ve known for 10 years?”
But now I realize… it’s not betrayal. It’s just how human psychology works.
Proximity creates assumptions. Distance creates curiosity.
And curiosity is what drives people to explore, ask, and buy.
So don’t waste energy resenting your circle. Use that energy to serve your real audience.
My Advice? Focus on Creating Real Value
That’s what attracts the right customers — regardless of who they are.
If you’re honest, passionate, and solving a real problem, people will come.
Some may be old friends. Most will be strangers.
But all of them are humans searching for a solution. Be the one who provides it.
And remember — in a world where everyone expects support from the familiar, be grateful for the unfamiliar who believe in you first.
Those are your true customers.
And maybe one day… your friends will join the queue too.
“Thank you, strangers. You made FAVORIOT real.”
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Dr. Mazlan Abbas 