Background - Who
Should Read This Article?
True entrepreneurs prefer
to EARN what they make through honest and intelligent effort,
and typically abhor offers of "handouts" or favours.
Many people in developed societies have enough around them
to help them understand that entrepreneuring can be prestigious,
and investing in, or patronising an entrepreneur can be quite
rewarding.
The fact is that the clients/customers
or investors who have to consider what a first-time startup
entrepreneur has to offer them, may NOT have the benefit of
access to his/her business track record(since it would be
his/her FIRST time), family pedigree or "sensible"
ideas to help them make up their minds about the potential
benefits of putting their hard earned money in as capital
- or for purchase of the entrepreneur's product or service.
It therefore follows that
they will have to take something of a "leap
of faith" in starting a relationship with him/her.
They would have to carefully evaluate all that s/he is offering
them as investors or prospective clients/customers and decide
whether or not the total picture they can see, and the potential
rewards that are promised can justify the monetary or other
form of commitment s/he may request.
They would, in essence,
have to demonstrate a belief in his/her ability to deliver
what s/he promises.
The
above is actually why this article was NOT written primarily
for persons who live/work in DEVELOPED societies. In
advanced societies many successful enterprises exist today,
because investors and customers put their faith - and hard
earned money - in an individual who had little or nothing
more than an idea, when starting up.
This
article has instead been written mainly for the benefit of
persons who live/work in DEVELOPING societies where
many individual startup entrepreneurs who also
have little or nothing more than an "idea" may
approach them to consider investing in or purchasing a product
or service. Specifically, I draw from over four years of experience
as an entrepreneur in a developing country, where in my opinion
there is a generally poor understanding of what the relationship
between entrepreneurs and their prospective clients/customers
or investors ought to be.
The Situation/Problem
1. Quite
often the entrepreneur is NOT seen as a provider of valuable
- possibly badly - needed solutions to the clients'
NEEDS. Instead s/he tends to be seen as the unfortunate
individual who made the mistake of thinking s/he
could command enough income to earn a living doing something
s/he is good at outside the security of paid employment -
or without access to the right connections. Those
s/he approaches to give him/her business consequently adopt
a position of superiority over him/her - feeling s/he needs
them more than they need him/her!
2. As a
result of 1. above, many supposed entrepreneurs - out of desperation
- compromise on their values, and agree to sometimes
outrageous proposals by individuals in prospective client
companies(very hard to blame them really - because, unlike
developed societies, lack of business patronage leaves you
ZERO alternatives to find even money to feed yourself and
your family). So they get the job, earn little in terms of
profit, since they share what is paid them with those who
influence/approve it. In no time at all they are back begging
for another opportunity. Conflicts with the Be
Your Own Boss concept that starting one's own business
is about doesn't it?
Who Loses Out/Suffers In The Long
Run?
The entrepreneur of course - IF
s/he gives in. S/he will lose her dignity and status before
clients. If s/he gets used to it(as has happened to many)
s/he'll probably decide to secure more "easy" jobs
and become lazy from getting mostly un-earned income.
Some people have accused me of exaggerating
the problem. Others say I want too much change in too short
a time. The truth however is that I see very little effort
being made by very few people to do anything about it. Yet
evidence of its presence and ill-effects daily torment hardworking,
competent and honest people. I CANNOT keep quiet in the face
of all that. If it is all I can do, I will create awareness
about it, and propose workable solutions for the sake of others
- including my own children.
Note: This
problem probably occurs in some developed societies, but that
- going by the obvious prestige associated with entrepreneuring
in many of them - would be the exception, NOT the norm, as
tends to be the case out here. Of course, not everyone here
is guilty of doing the naughty things mentioned above. But
majority are...and a large number of those who are not, are
often afraid to say or do anything about it. Read my article
titled "Using
Passive Resistance And Non-Violent Confrontation To Discourage
Bad Practices In Society" for ideas you can use.
Don't Compromise Your Values Or
Be Subservient To ANYONE!
"You
don't need anyone's permission to succeed" -
Dan Kennedy
To the entrepreneur, I will make this
challenge. Accepting shabby treatment from clients will not
make you gain stature before them. If anything, you will lower
your credibility and worth in their eyes, and those of others
who observe your subservience. If you find any client trying
to treat you shabbily, you may want to seriously consider
walking away from that relationship, as it could end up doing
you more harm than good.
Think about
it this way: What are the chances of a guy who keeps
putting you down, delaying your payments and trying to get
you to do more for less - or nothing! - giving you any word-of-mouth
referrals/testimonials that result in PROFITABLE jobs? Read
Donna Gunter's article titled "7
Signs That It's Time to Fire a Client" to
learn more about why you may need to "fire" a naughty
client(s).
Also, I strongly believe it is better
to spend your time doing things that IMPROVE your ability
to convince prospective clients that you are worth the fees
you ask, than to go around to abusive ones who repeatedly
underpay and exploit you! But then, not everyone has the courage
to risk prolonged humiliation that may(initially) come with
taking this kind of stance - and the following quote predicts
their fate:
"Find
out just what any people will quietly submit to and you have
the exact measure of the injustice and wrong which will be
imposed on them." - Frederick Douglass
A Solution Entrepreneurs Can
Adopt
There is a solution - BUT only for
those who are willing to pay the price. .
The solution I propose, is for an entrepeneur
confronted with the problem(s) described in this article to
(a). develop additional
income earning competencies (b).
explore opportunities for earning income through channels
that do NOT allow third parties influence the decision making
process without your being given a
fair and impartial opportunity to bid. S/he can do
this while continuing to explore the available openings for
a fair and impartial opportunity to bid for business.
Countries like India have shown that
it can be done e.g. self-employed persons providing digital
services(freelance writing, software development, help desks
etc) via the Internet. Of course, not everyone will find this
a suitable alternative - though I dare say that now, and in
the future, virtually anyone who is serious about earning
income with less effort will need to give this alternative
MORE serious consideration!
For now,
I guess the question will have to be whether those who need
this alternative, will be prepared to make the long term commitment
that may be required to bring their dreams to reality.
Incidentally, success in doing a.
or b. above - apart from
making him/her more versatile - would further boost the entrepreneur's
ability to attract patronage(or capital) from customers(or
investors), so nothing would be lost! Read my articles titled:
a.
"How
To Be A Jack Of Many Trades, And Why It Can Make You Succeed
More Often"
b. "More
Real-Life Proof That Being A Jack Of Many Trades Can Make
You Succeed More Often"
c.
"If
You Lack Capital, Intelligent Multipreneuring Can Help You
Get It!".
Summary
Hopefully, from reading this article,
if you ever find yourself in a position where you need to
decide whether to patronise(i.e. purchase from) or invest
in an entrepreneur's business, you will have a better understanding
of what to do. Except s/he is NOT an authentic, vision-driven
entrepreneur, it is highly unlikely s/he will want you to
feel pity and give him/her some handouts when you are willing
to offer acceptable payment(or capital investment) for the
product/service(or returns) s/he claims to be capable of delivering
to your satisfaction.
If you have
read this as an entrepreneur(or one aspiring), I will ask
you this question: What will your decision be in relation
to dealing with the possible lack of immediate interest and
patronage from your target audience for your products/services?
Will you compromise and settle for a one-sided relationship
in which people feel they are just doing you a favour by doing
business with you? Or will you work hard to adopt the alternative
solution along the lines of that provided above so as to command
profitable earnings, credibility and recognition in your line
of business?
I have made my decision - which is
why you are reading this. It is also why I have four
NEW Excel VB applications displayed for online purchase on
my MS Excel Automation mini site. I hope you will also
make the decision that will help you get the rewards you truly
deserve for your efforts, when the time comes. 
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