DRAWING THE LINE IN BUSINESS

To start with, I'd love to say that running a successful business requires a lot of wisdom. This particular topic is a very interesting one, and because I am a businesswoman, I do have a lot to say about it. When I first started my business in 2018, this was what affected me so much, and I had to learn the really hard way. I was selling data, and I was also importing items from China back then.

There were some people who would buy data from me then and wouldn't pay on time, and sometimes not even at all. I also had this friend who bought a bag from me; her mom also bought one. See, these people used several months to pay this money and didn't even eventually buy at the price I gave them; they gave themselves a discount and paid the amount they intended to. I couldn't express my dissatisfaction because I didn't want to ruin the relationship we had. I know how softhearted I can be; I will just end up feeling all bad and beating myself up if I react otherwise.

I had to stop the data business at one point because people just refused to pay up, and I didn't want to be affected further. There was this time I sold a bag to a roommate of mine back then. She promised to pay the next week after then, and I just trusted her and agreed. I was also pitying her because she didn't have any bags to take to school then. Well, till date, she didn't pay me that money--Yup, I kid you not. After those times, I actually got wiser, and I handled my business better. I will never try it again because I do know how detrimental it can be to one's business.

See, the thing is that if one allows familiarity in one's business too much, there will never be room for growth. If the people around you truly love you, they will support your business and even tell other people about it. Also, as a businessperson, giving some benefits to people such as family, genuine friends, long-time customers, and recurring customers is quite inevitable. However, it is important to know who to give those benefits to. Not everyone around you wants the best for you and your business; they wouldn't even hesitate to ruin you and milk you dry.

For my family and friends, I actually give them discounts and some other benefits, and I think that's quite fair enough. There are some of these people who would intentionally buy a lot from me and even send extra with their initial bill. If they also decided to keep it strictly business, they wouldn't do so. I really do not think this is a big deal in business, just that you have to be very careful about who to trust and when to draw the line.

There are some people I would never sell to if I knew they wanted to buy on credit, even if they promised to pay me the next day--It is just strictly cash and carry. There are also other sets of people I would allow this for, because I know they will not disappoint and also want to see me grow. If any of my family members patronize me, they pay, and if I wish to gift them any of my products, I do so out of the willingness of my heart.

So, I think it is about knowing and studying the people around you and setting some boundaries. Also, it is very important to have business principles that will be known by everyone, so that they will not even propose them to you at any point in time. One thing I would also love to say is that there should be no "niceness" in business. There can be empathy and all of that, but it is important to never be perceived as someone that can be taken advantage of.

Thanks for reading❤️