Its A Little Ridiculous To Me That Here In The Year 2018 Business Owners, Entrepreneurs & Creatives Still Have To Address This Ugly Stigma Concerning Friends, Family, Associates & Business. But.. You Are Reading This, So Apparently Some Folks Have Not Received The Memo..
Concerning Business My Motto (Actually This Is Motto #7 Out of My "14 Business Motto's". (But For Real.. I Actually Have 14 Rock Solid Business Motto's That I Live & Work By) "Treat Everyone As A Potential Customer. INCLUDING FAMILY!!" Right Now You Are Thinking, "DAMN ARTHUR.. You Can't Be Serious.. You Even Charge Your Family..??! Your Blood!!?" And My Answer To Those Comment's Are: "YOU G@D DAMN RIGHT I DO!!!"
Because My Belief Is "You Charge What You Believe You Are Worth." & If A Person Is Well Over 25 Years of Age & They Are Fully Physically And Mentally Functional. Chances Are, They Are Self Employed. Or. Have Gainful Employment With An Established Company. And If They Are Your Family/ Friends They SHOULD Be The Ones Who Are Helping To Push You Up Into The Upper Rungs of Success. The Reason Why I Charge The People I Know Is More of Me Setting A Professional Tone For Brand, Rather Than Setting A Financial Tone For My Brand. This Is An Important Ethos To Have Because, Before An Entrepreneur Breaks Off Into The Red or Blue Ocean. The People Who Will Be Their First Customers, Are Usually The People They Know. So; You Should Start Treating Your Small Business AS A BUSINESS!! From Day One. Do Not Deviate. MAKE PEOPLE RESPECT YOUR BRAND.
And Lets Face It.. Folks Sometimes Do Not Respect The Value of Something If They Are Receiving It For Free. People Mistakenly Place The Value of An Object, Service or A Person by Its Cost, Popularity or Social Value. Expensive Does Not Mean Quality.. If You Want To Put That To The Test. Take A Pair of Gucci Low Top Sneakers That Cost $600 & Tell Me If They Would Survive A Full Court Basketball Game Over A Pair of 86' Converse Weapons..... Not Likely.
If You Are Contacting A Business Owner (Even if They Do Not Have An Official Business. They're Maybe A Hair Stylist or Make-up Artist That Went To School and May Not Have A Brick & Mortar Store or Even A Website) For Their Business Skills. YOU ARE OFFICIALLY SOLICITING THEM FOR THEIR SERVICES!!! And You Should Expect Them To Either Quote You A Price At The End of The Convo or Send You An Invoice Shortly After. Think of It As if You Were Calling "The Geek Squad" About Fixing The iPad Air Your Godson Just Tossed Into The Pool. After They Repaired It, You Would Not Just Walk Away And Say "Thanks.." No You Wouldn't. So Why Would You Do That To Your Own Peoples...!!
Now When I Speak About Compensation, Do I Automatically Mean Money!?... No. Though Motto #1 Out of My "14 Business Motto's" Is: "Cash Is KING." There Are Other Forms of Payment That I Accept.. Yes, Cash Being One of Them, But. I Accept: Huge Promotion of My Work/ Referrals (Especially If You Have A Large Network That Will Almost Guarantee Future Employment.. And Yes That Has Happened To Work In My Favor Plenty of Times In The Past). I Accept Talent For Trade: If You Are A Stylist or A Makeup Artist. I Will Have You Style, Or Beat Face's On My Next Shoot. And Lastly FOOD, Are One of My Favorite Forms of Compensation!!!? (And Im Dead Serious.. If You Are Gonna Bless Me With Three Trays of Jollof Rice or A 60qt Pot of Soup Joumou... You Have A Deal!!..)
In All Seriousness. Start Paying Your Friends. If They Are Talented, Went To School, Or Are Even Self Taught Masters. PAY THEM!!! The Best Way To Circulate Money In The So-Called Urban Community Is By Spending It With The Folks You Know....
-Peace.
