High maintenance customer

[Mike Schwartz]

> Bill Akers said:
> There were
> many small to mid-size business people back in the 80's who seemed
> to believe that paying for knowledge and the skill to apply it was
> just sinful. People in the business now should be proud of the
> people who persevered and mostly banished that idea from the landscape.

    There are still a lot of people who have no understanding what it takes
to start a business of their own.  I took on a couple of customers this year
who were totally unprepared to run their own business.  One was a
psychologist and the other a was a financial person. Both mentioned that
they had no idea there were so many things to do once they started their own
business.  Both came from large corporations, where their computer problems,
bookkeeping, etc. were all "magically" done for them, and they had no idea
how much it would cost to be in business for themselves.  Like most new
businesses in their first year, both are losing money despite having a good
clientele.  

    Actually, a third guy I did some work for didn't even make it 6 months.
I helped set him up in a "shared services" building, and never got paid.
The building owner not only didn't get paid for the last couple of months of
rent, but when the guy moved out one weekend, he took all the beautiful
hand-made furniture that she had loaned him!  He was another guy who broke
away from a larger company and tried to go-it on his own, but he just
couldn't find enough customers or pull enough of his old customers with him
after he broke away.

    In the 70's and 80's the business colleges preached "Do anything you
want, OPM (on Other People's Money)".  Now, we reap what we have sown; IE,
Denver Savings and Loan, Enron, and many smaller businesses.       
       
    I have noticed that those who have ripped me off all seem to be driving
Cadillacs.  Apparently, I'm not the only one they ripped off...

    All in all, I probably lost about 1% of the money I earned.  I did more
damage to myself taking in old hardware that I never was able to resell than
I did on getting ripped off by non-payers.  I feel bad that I had to work
harder and charge others more to make up for some of the money that I
rightfully should have gotten, but, all in all, I can sleep at night.
Hmmm...  Apparently the people who ripped me off can sleep at night, too...

    My advice is stay away from real estate brokers and mortgage brokers,
especially independents.   

Mike Schwartz