No Friends In Business

I have been out of the blogging game for a minute but I came across something this morning that started that fire once more.

Ok so after reading this post---> http://www.trishreda.com/blog/so-this-just-happened/3541/  it became even more clear to me how these big companies operate. We all know that businesses are always looking for the best way to "save a dollar" but at the same time they want the best quality of everything. Even if you are a small man, you should always be WILLING to pay people for their services. Let them tell you "it's okay, I'll do it for free or x amount" but don't ever try to short change or swindle someone.

I have been in the situation before where I've been short changed for work that I put in. The first part of the problem is that the person or organization who wants your services doesn't always know the value of what you have to offer. And that's fine. If you're not in the business I half the time don't expect you to know how much it costs. However, a lot of them don't care. If you are going to take someone's services, I think you should at least do your research to see what the value of everything is before you state what you will and will not pay. Don't insult the person's intelligence either. The aforementioned post clearly shows how a lot of big companies think. They think "okay I can just promise this person to be associated with us and they should be grateful". But hold up though, promises don't pay bills. A promise cannot put food on the person's table.

Unfortunately, it is not only big companies that do this. There are micro, small and medium enterprises who operate the same way, stepping on people and their skills in order to please a client, save money or get out of paying completely. Very recently I did some work for someone and when we initially had the discussion, I advised of fees etc and everything was fine. The mistake I made however was not putting that in writing but trust me when I say a lesson has been learned. I usually put everything down on paper and the one time I neglected to do so, I was taken advantage of.

Anyway, I went ahead and put in work but was surprised to see that when I sent my bill, I was greeted with disrespect and negative energy. The level of "don't give a shit" that was present was enough to drive even Ghandi to anger. If you know me well enough you know that I have no patience or tolerance for bull especially when I'm working. I don't like people, I don't care about personalities, I just want to see words and numbers. I'm not ashamed to say that I now have no friends when it comes to business and I intend to keep it that way. As young people we often make the mistake that because you "know" this person, they wont do you wrong. No. They are the first to wrong you when money and business is involved.

I wont get into who it was and what was said but the bottom line is I, like many other freelancers and artists, was used. If you are someone with a talent or a skill, be weary of those who want nothing more than to use up all they can get. For free. Never assume they have your best interest at heart and never put out 90 before you know if you can even get 10. Always put everything in writing and make sure they and you are very clear on the terms of an agreement. There is nothing more disappointing than putting your all into something and getting not even so much as recognition. Business is a rough playground, always have helmets and band-aids handy.

Until I find something else to ramble on about;

One love.