Obligation, Service, and Doing The Right Thing
"We feel it's best if we end our professional working arrangement with you." After hearing those words, I was pissed. I've fired clients before, but this was the first time someone had fired me. My accountant and I have had a bitter relationship for a few months, mostly due to unset expectations by both of us. But at that moment, those words pissed me off. Over the course of the next few days we emailed back and forth about our issues and how to hand off the handling of my tax account. Then I had a moment of clarity when I read the following: "...we have performed and delivered the expected service and output from us. Therefore, from our side, we have fulfilled our obligations." I realized something I haven't been able to put into words since moving to Cambodia. The words from my former accountant reflects the main difference in our business views. Their business view was at the core of our bad relationship. And something we can all learn about our businesses.
Obligation Vs Service
The first word that stuck out to me in his email was, obligation. Obligations are things we must do. As a service provider, my contract states exactly what I will do. These are my obligations. To get paid, I must get these things done. I tend to take on projects where the previous freelancer had an obligation mindset. They view clients as income, as a way to provide for their lifestyle. As a series of obligations they must complete before moving on to the next client. I've met a lot of freelancers who have come through Cambodia, using their freelance roles to fund their travels. There is nothing wrong with this lifestyle, but when you view your clients simply as a means to your lifestyle, you are missing out on a huge opportunity. We have a huge opportunity to provide a service for our clients. To help them grow their business, or help them connect to others. It's a large responsibility. But if you take care of your client, if you are willing to go beyond your obligation, you will create a customer that will keep coming back. Bringing with them more revenue, which is the byproduct of doing the right thing.
Do the right thing.
One of the values I have for my business is: Do the right thing. I constantly ask myself, is this the right thing to do? Is cutting a corner in my code to get the job done faster the right thing to do? Probably not. That value has forced me to look deep down to the core of who I am. It has forced me to explore how I work and why I make decisions. As business owners, we have a lot of work to do. Our clients trust us, or else they wouldn't have hired us in the first place. Don't take advantage of their trust. Do the right thing.