If you insist on getting every single person in the room to understand every nuance of your presentation, you’ve just signed up to bore and alienate the very people you needed most. – Seth Godin
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The owner of an enterprise decides how his business works.
The customer has the right to decline doing business with them if they don’t like the terms and conditions.
They also have the right to ask for discounts or changes, sure.
But it’s the owner who gets to honour the request or not. – Martin Stellar
Years ago, after releasing what would be my last poetry-only book, a complete stranger approached me on Facebook.
She claimed we knew each other from a long time ago, and proceeded to tell me she lived on welfare. Then, she hit me with: “I know you have a big heart. Could you send me a copy for free?”
In my response, I explained that we had never spoken to each other and that my book had taken me years to write. So, while free was out of the question, I would be more than happy to send her an autographed copy at a discounted price.
“No, thanks! It sucks, anyway,” was her final response.
To this day, I still don’t know who she is. But our exchange and the below email taught me an important lesson.
If you don’t value your work, don’t expect others to do it for you.
Does it mean that the word “free” should be banned from your vocabulary? Absolutely not. Giveaways and free upgrades can turn things around, especially after a mistake or inconvenience.
As a small business owner or solo-preneur, it is very important to say “no” when warranted. Otherwise, you send us a message of desperation.
Stop letting everyone tell you how to run your business. Stop handing over its keys to the entire world.
Instead, make the rules clear. Show us that you take your business seriously.
The people who care will then show up on your doorstep. And they will knock instead of trying to break the door open.
