Opening Weaknesses

The tendency
When first starting
A new business
Is to do whatever it takes
To get your services
Recognized and accepted.
The intent is to build
.A track record
The will eventually
Be self perpetuating.
You may be tempted
To bend over backwards,
And to make
Unreasonable concessions,
Just to get your foot
In the door.
This may work initially,
But your customers
Are being trained
On what to expect,
And you probably
Won’t be willing
To make those same deals
Once you have
Become established.
You may be so anxious
To do the job,
That you neglect to detail
The total expected cost up front,
And find you have
A very hard time collecting
Once the job is done.
Most business people
Have to learn the hard way
The value of having
A solid contract
Before doing the work,
And they also have to learn
The importance of
Making a profit
On every job done.
Probably a good rule
To follow would be
To collect at least
The cost of materials
Up front,
And all projects will require
A well defined
Payment plan.
The challenge faced
When starting up
That new business
Is that you are often not
As strong as needed
On these details,
And it sooner or later
Comes back
To haunt you.