I phoned a business-to-business Internet service recently aiming to become a fresh client. In these difficult economic times I thought that my purchases, certain to be several thousand dollars over the next couple months, would be graciously welcomed.
They were not.
As I endeavored to explain my needs to the representative on the other end of the phone, he consistently cut me off and admonished me for interrupting him. I asked to speak to the owner and he told me he is the owner, just before hanging up on me and my prospective business.
I write this not as a tale of poor customer service, but rather as an ode to entrepreneurship in the midst of our current economic upheaval. A bit of further investigation confirmed that I indeed had been speaking to the independent-minded founder and owner.
Shrugging off clients who annoy you is one of the many perks of being an entrepreneur, a status I’ve enjoyed now for more than two decades.
One of the first lessons I learned is that my business cycles and national economic cycles have minimal correlation. At times, my business has suffered mightily even as the stock market set new records highs. Now that the market has fallen sharply, I find my business fairing better than most publicly held concerns.
I’ve read with great interest of the sad tales of those who staked their retirement nest eggs in stocks or mutual funds only to be jolted into the realization that passive investments are not necessarily safe investments.
Most people perceive, wrongly I might add, that owning one’s own business is risky. They read about the failure rate of entrepreneurs and they reckon they’ll place their bets with the name brand fund managers on Wall Street. Such as Bernie Madoff.
Statistics can be instructive. But they mean little to me day-to-day. My business has risen or fallen based upon mostly upon my levels of hard work, creativity, hustle, endurance, flexibility and luck. The economy plays only a small factor.
When I offer advise to my two teenage children about how to secure their lifelong financial well being, I always remind them that when you own your own business its impossible to ever be laid off. You can call it quits, but no one will ever downsize your job if you refuse to give up.
Over the years, if I’m honest about it, I’ve told a select few existing or prospective customers where to put their attitude. Those who build their own businesses and work for themselves come to know that financial success is an important benefit, but hardly the only one.
Sometimes it feels plain good to act haughtily, just because.
