Are You Really The Boss?

IT business owners have many reasons for starting their own companies. Some were formerly employed in the field, others bought franchises, and some just love technology. Whatever the reason, most had a yearning to be their own boss. This, in theory, has afforded them to make their own hours, manage staff, and be the overall decision maker for their business.

All of this sounds great but, as much as we would like to believe that the business owner is the boss, the reality is that they just might not be. Now I know what you are thinking; the “wife” is the boss! Though this may also be partially true, the real boss is the customer.

Here are the reasons why:

Hiring and Firing – The customer hires you, and just like you can fire a customer or employee, the customer can fire you.

Paycheck – You and your employee’s paycheck’s come from the customer.

Products – Customers generally dictate the types of products you carry whether you are vertical specific or horizontal.

Managing Staff – Often times the customer is your eyes and ears in the field. Based on complaints or praise from them, helps to determine your employee’s status in the company.

Hours – I don’t think any IT professional would argue that the customer dictates your hours. For those of you who have been up at 2:30 in the morning working on a server down issue or some kind of issue or outage can attest to that.

So maybe the customers are at least the co-bosses. Without them you have no business! Treat them like a boss in your business. Seek input just like you would a business partner and watch your customer relationships build. By treating your customers like a boss you will earn respect and definitely earn loyalty.

Frank Gurnee
VP, Channel Services, ExchangeDefender
(877) 546-0316 x4777
frank@ownwebnow.com