In business, and in life, we want things simple and easy. Well, choose one, because you can't always have both.
Running a business can be simple: do the right things, be smart with finances, hire and keep good people, avoid doing the wrong things. Simple.
But that stuff isn't necessarily easy. It isn't easy be fiscally responsible (it's not fun, it's not good for the ego). It isn't easy saying no to clients that might want "favors" or inappropriate treatment. It isn't easy to hire the right person and reject the wrong one (even if the wrong one has more experience or claims to have an "in" with a prospective client).
Perhaps this is the answer: If your focus is on what's easy, life will be complicated. If you focus on what is simple and right, life and business will be pretty easy.
Barry LaBov, CEO
LaBov and Beyond
www.labov.com
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
The difference between beauty, talent and integrity
There's nothing more impressive than a beautiful actress or actor--pick your favorite--but what do they look like in reality?
When I was a young, aspiring musician I went to Hollywood and while I was at a phone booth (remember them?) calling prospective agents and record labels, I enjoyed the show. It so happens that phone booth was located near a noted plastic surgery center. While I stood there making calls, I was treated to seeing dozens of the most famous celebrities walk past me on the way in to the center. I have to tell you, some of the most beautiful people in the world were downright average looking or worse. Some had beauty-- a ghoulish beauty.
Some of the my favorite songs were written or performed by recording artists that had a lot of personal addiction issues or they cheated on their spouses or threw TV sets through hotel room windows.
Then there are people that I didn't really love as performers--Neil Young, as an example--that I now admire because of his integrity. Yeah, he may have a whiny voice, yeah, he has stringy hair. But, he has integrity in his life. He's trying to save the world with his souped up '59 Lincoln biodiesel car.
As I get older, I'm less interested in surface-level beauty and more impressed with what's deep inside.
When I was a young, aspiring musician I went to Hollywood and while I was at a phone booth (remember them?) calling prospective agents and record labels, I enjoyed the show. It so happens that phone booth was located near a noted plastic surgery center. While I stood there making calls, I was treated to seeing dozens of the most famous celebrities walk past me on the way in to the center. I have to tell you, some of the most beautiful people in the world were downright average looking or worse. Some had beauty-- a ghoulish beauty.
Some of the my favorite songs were written or performed by recording artists that had a lot of personal addiction issues or they cheated on their spouses or threw TV sets through hotel room windows.
Then there are people that I didn't really love as performers--Neil Young, as an example--that I now admire because of his integrity. Yeah, he may have a whiny voice, yeah, he has stringy hair. But, he has integrity in his life. He's trying to save the world with his souped up '59 Lincoln biodiesel car.
As I get older, I'm less interested in surface-level beauty and more impressed with what's deep inside.
Monday, April 6, 2009
Crazy client contracts
I had spent a year trying to land a great client. The client contact was a great guy, a real open, honest guy.
We had one last hurdle--the master services agreement--the agreement my company had to sign to become an approved supplier.
To my client's credit, he warned, "If you read this contract and want to change it, I won't blame you, but don't expect my company to change it. And if they do, it'll take so long, it won't be worth it."
If it weren't for my understanding of the client contact, I would have thought he was trying to bluff me into signing it. But he wasn't bluffing, I could tell.
I looked through the verbiage and it was pretty extraordinary. Basically if my company did a bad job, we'd be chewed up and spit out.
No doubt, many supplier companies would send the agreement to their lawyer and after a few thousand bucks of lawyer time, a marked up version would be sent to the client, only to have it sit and sit and sit.
There is no single answer to this situation. But, there is an advantage to the company that signs--they'll have few competitors that are willing to join them in serving that client. So if the client is a good one, you win if you sign. If they're a bad one, you'll regret it.
So then it doesn't come down to the contract after all.
We had one last hurdle--the master services agreement--the agreement my company had to sign to become an approved supplier.
To my client's credit, he warned, "If you read this contract and want to change it, I won't blame you, but don't expect my company to change it. And if they do, it'll take so long, it won't be worth it."
If it weren't for my understanding of the client contact, I would have thought he was trying to bluff me into signing it. But he wasn't bluffing, I could tell.
I looked through the verbiage and it was pretty extraordinary. Basically if my company did a bad job, we'd be chewed up and spit out.
No doubt, many supplier companies would send the agreement to their lawyer and after a few thousand bucks of lawyer time, a marked up version would be sent to the client, only to have it sit and sit and sit.
There is no single answer to this situation. But, there is an advantage to the company that signs--they'll have few competitors that are willing to join them in serving that client. So if the client is a good one, you win if you sign. If they're a bad one, you'll regret it.
So then it doesn't come down to the contract after all.
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