I don’t like it, but I respect it!

Happy 2012!

I hope the first 10 days of 2012 have been prosperous and you are ON TRACK!

I haven’t had a moment to blog, but I was sitting here reflecting (and deleting “friends” from my Facebook account) and thought I’d pump something out really quickly since I will offline most of day tomorrow. If you remember in my first blog, I shared that I was extra comfortable with my expertise in human resources; I could figure out any HRIS (human resources information system), Payroll or Accounting Software possible, but was hesitatant to update my website. In one of my videos, I shared that I was teaching myself photoshop and iMovie.  So that I could see how things work first hand.

Along the way, I have learned so many fascinating  things and I have also lost  respect for a few of my business colleagues.  Please don’t get me wrong, if a person is in business, I believe they should be paid for their services, trust me I had to make that very clear when I started my business too.  My issue is when people try to make things more complicated than they have to be so that they can charge you an astronomical fee (simply because you don’t know how to do something).

• I remember paying $75 for an ISBN number because I didn’t know I could get a block of 10 for $250
• I remember paying $250 for someone to turn a book into a pdf  because I didn’t know it was as a file “save as” option.
• I remember paying $1500 for a cameo appearance in a video tutorial that I have yet to see.

One thing I WILL NOT forget is the people who took advantage of me.  My schedule can get really hectic at times and so it’s easier for me to sell my strengths and buy my weaknesses.  See I believe there are professionals in every industry FOR A REASON.   I also realize that just because I can do something…it doesn’t mean that I should.  Sure, I can make a flyer, but my graphic designers can “design circles around me” (pun intended).  My point is, that is what they do and they do a darn great job at it.  Even the Bible says, a laborer is worthy of their wages.  So paying for a product/service has NEVER been a beef.

To be OVERCHARGED for a product or a service is where I take great issue. Why?  Because I get that you are not operating in integrity, your character is suspect and well, you are just plain evil.  Okay that was a bit harsh.  But can I just be real?   When I first got into human resources a mentor told me,” a huge portion of my paycheck would be for people not to like what I had to say.”  The first time I had to terminate someone, I understood exactly what that meant.  Likewise, the same mentor told me, “if you are always honest with people, they may not like it (or you), but the will respect it (and you). So I decided if I could not be perfect, that I would always be genuine.

I have always subscribed to the  saying, “if you help enough people get what they need, you will never have a problem getting what you want!”  This saying is part of the reason I give away free tips and tidbits.  The reward is reading an email or a post that says, “Thank you, you helped me so much!” But I’m realizing that some people just do BAD BUSINESS.

So the more I learn, the more I AM LEARNING.  Everyone is not on the same playing field, some are not even playing the same game.  Some have bent the rules, while others have just broken them.   My point was not to slam anyone, but to remind you that integrity goes a long way.   Just because someone doesn’t know to do something today, it doesn’t mean they will never learn how to do something.  Don’t take advantage of it because you will lose more than a customer.  You will also lose their respect!

SCH