Ok... so I got this exerpt from someone else's blog about "Doing Business With Flaky People" and gosh how it rings true in the industry that I've entered recently.
From nearly every social networking account or passerby conversation you'll hear about someone's exploits, how hard their hustling and all of the big business that they're getting into and while some of it makes your eyebrow raise (for me it's anything to do with rapping) others get you interested and motivated. Even a few times after you introduce yourself and what you do, they might say, "Let's get something crackin'" or "I definitely want to work with you." That's all well and fine until it gets time to get to it and they either don't answer phone calls or tweets or when you do get in contact with them, their replies are a bit too colorwashed and vague to actually go forward with something. Nothing frustrates me more than thinking that I'm on the same page with someone and then I come to realize that I'm not and I look at my calendar, kicking myself for not being more stringent on selecting business partners beforehand.
Many of y'all probably have had the same experience a time or two before. If you haven't and you interact business-wise with different people, chances are that you will. The inevitability of it comes from half-assed hustlers being in the mix. There's any number of reasons why we can't follow through with commitment but it's the shying away from explaining why you can't do what you promised that pisses me off. Honestly and truly, it doesn't matter if you had something as minor as a blown tire on the way home; if you at least give me the courtesy of letting me know what's up, I won't trip. This, unfortunately, doesn't happen nearly as much as I'd like and sometimes I have to come across a bit harsh and neither of us really likes that.
Don't get it twisted though; I've never been a piss-and-moaner and I knew coming in that everyone wasn't going to be as passionate and serious about hustling as I am and prepared accordingly for that scenario by coming up with a two strike policy. You might be like, "Two strike?! Isn't it supposed to be three strikes?!" Nah kid, I'm not that nice. You ever heard that saying "Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me"? Being fooled three times is a sucker move and I already have a definite image of who you are by the second time you flaked on me so why would I need to go through that again? To do so would be my definition of insanity and we ain't crazy 'round these parts! Again, having a legitimate reason why you couldn't do your part doesn't factor into this but excessive and avoidable excuses are a one way trip to strike two.
What happens after strike number two? Nothing overly dramatic; I just fall back hard on you (pause) and stop making an effort to get things going. I literally disappear and if you want to try doing something together I will tell you flat out that I need you to get it up and off the ground first to show your commitment because my time is valuable and I no longer have any I can throw away behind people not dedicated to the grind. That's it. I don't lose my cool or anything like that because NO ONE is worth my blood pressure rising. And that should be the same for y'all.
Be multifaceted,
-CZA
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