Everyone in business has relationships with a variety of others such as suppliers, accountants, tax advisors, employees, bankers, and competitors. The most important persons in any businessmans life is the customer. When I was driving a limousine for a living one time at a meeting one of the drivers in jest suggested the job would be much better if we got rid of the customers. He suggested dispatch could just send us from place to place and we could give the appropriote radio code when we arrived and then dispatch us to the next location without any customers in the car. At the end of the shift we would just return to base and then go home. It was a brief interlude in an otherwise serious business meeting.
I enjoy my customers very much and would not think of doing less than my best while in the customers living room caring for a piano. There are many challenges to running a business especially when the business is small. I have independent contractors helping me and they do a great job. I like to think that they think the same way about the customers of mine they serve.
I am a customer too of my banker, my accountant, my suppliers and a number of others. I wish I could say Renshaw Music was important to these folks but there is a lot of unnecessary meanness in the marketplace today. At one time a banker was the friend of small business. At a bank today everyone is outwardly friendly but banks make a significant percentage of their income from penalty fees. They smile as they tell you the $30 fee was not a bank error. It of course was not an error but the funds are taken on purpose.
The battle is not often with providing good service to the customer but with protecting company funds. I find I need bankers, suppliers, accountants and others to support my business but finding professionals in these fields that really want to help my business succeed is a great challenge.
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