Have you ever met someone who did amazing things for business, or society, or the general good of the public and was quiet about it? I am not talking about those people who do good and then tell everyone about it - I am talking about people who are quiet and unassuming, but still manage to change the world one person at a time. I think these kinds of people are amazing. They somehow find the time in a day to affect so many lives, and still provide for their family and do fantastic business..
I guess what I am trying to get at is I admire people who are humble. To me, a humble person is intriguing, especially if you know that they have every right to be complete morons due to what they have accomplished. I always want to know more about them or what they do, and no matter how many questions you ask, you can’t pinpoint it.
When you own your own business, it really isn’t any different. To be the president (or CEO, or cofounder) means to have all the answers. And frankly, you don’t! You never do! You have to answer for your business in every situation from the telephone book calling for advertising to client pricing problems. Some people bask in this sort of attention… It means they are in control and can put their ‘executive foot’ down. I take a different view on the situation, though.
To be the president also means you have the utmost say, and you can look like an asshole in front of a client. Like when you are out negotiating a deal… Say I am doing a data recovery job for a small business with a crashed hard drive. Normally this kind of service runs about $75 an hour. Being the president, I can change the price because there is no one I have to answer to! I could be negotiated down to $30 or $40 an hour because I am a nice guy and people pretty much sense that when I walk in the door. But, being an employee of my company - $75 an hour is the price and that’s it. People are less willing to get into pricing with people they know don’t have the final say.
The other side is $75 an hour is a pretty steep price. As an employee, when you write the invoice and it comes out to $700+, there is really nothing you can do about it. That is the price that needs to be paid. I do give pretty considerable discounts more often than not, but I make sure it is noted on the invoice. The invoice itself might be $850, but if I feel the small business is too small or lacks the capital, I might take $200 off the total through a discount code. If anything, this encourages repeat business!
When you decide to venture off on your own, or that you are going to pursue some sort of small business - get two different business cards made up. One with your name and your position as the president of your company. These are useful in networking situations and ‘non-monetary’ things. The other set can be your name and a made up title (the more creative, the better) that you hand out to clients and marketers and such. Your title can be ‘Chief Software Architect’ or ‘Head Graphic Designer’ or whatever floats your boat. It’s your company! Do yourself proud. Just stay away from ‘President!’
If you do this, I can guarantee that you will get more business and make more money. Just remember I get 10%. Oh wait, you talked me into 5%. Thats fine with me too :0)
Just kidding…