For a while now the 4 guiding principles for selecting clients has been
1. is someone other than Lee interested in working with this company? (Based on the premise that you're more effective working on things that interest you)
2. Are we the right fit for a client? Service mix + style + ability to listen + expertise.
3. Can they pay us? Because we like to eat.
4. Are they good people? Or better said are we sure they're NOT assholes. Because who likes to be beat up everyday? This does NOT preclude, have high expectations which I think is mutual exclusive to the asshole who usually has impossible expectations.
Of course 2 and 3 will always be important -- because if you take on a client you're not a good fit for, that relationship is doomed from the start and you know you'll have to churn it soon (or it will churn you) and of course cash is king - getting paid allows us to pay our employees, etc.
1 and 4 though are TOTALLY ARTIFICIAL boundaries to the business. We've all worked on business we could care less about and we've all worked for assholes. By choosing to adhere to 1 and 4, we artifically constrict the business.
And there is value in that -- in very low employee turnover. In very low client turnover. In a pretty good deal in terms of work.
Imagine what we could do if we stretched just on number 1? I'm not sure I want to ever stretch on number 4 as an independent business.
mmmmmmm -- gets the wheels turning.
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