THE ART OF WAR

I took a 4 month class a few years ago on starting and operating your own business. I had already been in business for years when I took this class but there is always more to learn. The class was great but I realized there are many things that have to be learned in practice. The class had people in various stages of business, from expansion of an existing business to wanting to begin, so it was a nice mix.

As a kid, my grandmother and mother were my business teachers. My grandmother was a make-it happen business woman. Tell her your goal and she’d get to work on making it happen. When my mother was 15 or so, my grandmother opened a small cafe in West Oakland, at the time it was the bustling part of town. It was near the Army Base and was called B***e’s Cafe- named after my mother. This was my mom’s first business. She worked on the weekends and during summer. Her aunts (a few years older than my mom) worked there as well as a couple of people from the church. My mom said the soldiers had a lot of money to spend and they liked to spend it in the cafe. Location, location, location.

Perhaps this is why my first business was a refreshement bar/cafe? I had always been the kid creating jobs, selling pixie sticks or thinking of business ideas. I wanted to be in business and I always had an idea I was pursuing. I guess my mom knew I’d be the one that would want the store.

From my mom and grandmother I learned stuff like know what products people like and have that product.

My mother showed me about keeping inventory and that if I kept running out of an item it was because people were buying it. I was a kid so it was possible that I was eating it. Buy more of what is selling and less of what isn’t. She helped me create displays to make things attractive. She said you have to make people think they need the thing. It worked.

My grandfather was a farm labor contractor and while many others tried to be in that business my grandparents were able to be successful at it because they owned buses and were able to transport workers to the fields. They charged the workers $1 for round trip transportation. The field you are in might be crowded so what can you offer that will set you above and apart? When you figure out an edge it doesn’t matter how many others are in your business, you utilize your edge and you can prosper.

Years ago my mother advised me to charge my customers a price that covered anticipated future and unpaid follow up requests. If the job looks like it will take 1 hour, you have to charge a bit over that so you don’t find yourself giving your time away. You are also charging people for your knowledge and training and that isn’t free.

I even learned a lesson from the family gardener. He’s also an artist, which is why he works so slow. He said in business you learn that “all money isn’t good money.” I had told him about a client that disputed my fee and took me to arbitration. I had done a huge amount of work for this person when no other lawyer would even talk to him. When the money got big he wanted it to be a flat fee and not a percentage. I learned that lesson once and I learned it well. I’m selective in who I accept as a client and getting more selective each season.

There are other things I’ve learned. One of those things is that to stay alive in business you have to stay in contact with people, keep people aware of your existence. You can’t be shy. Well maybe I learned that lesson from my mother and developed it.

The need for money refined the “stay in contact” lesson for me. In the past when I needed money I would get on the phone and call friends, colleagues, acquaintances or just visit and speak to people. Within a day or two of making contacts someone would either have a need or refer someone with a need. Now I use that technique to grow business, not to just fund a momentary desire.

I was skimming a book about rainmakers and it said that a rainmaker keeps in contact with people. Even after they’ve completed a job they maintain contact with the client. This contact ensures a continuous growth of your customer base.

I’m getting much better at the networking. It’s amazing where a bit of relationship building can take you.