When you start your own company, you will feel an invisible force that makes you feel guarded and powerful…until reality sinks in.
It had now been 90 days since our client, some 150 miles away, had not paid their account. We needed the money, and perhaps just as importantly, I needed some sleep. I was kept awake at night by the nightmare that was unfolding in front of me: my dream to be an entrepreneur shattered by a company that hasn’t held up their end of the bargain.
But sometimes, like a man with nothing to lose, you have to take matters into your own hands. Doing so can be inspiring and empowering by the personal ownership of your company and doing something you believe in. You are relieved to no longer feel your fate controlled by the powers above you…in essence, you pave your own road to success.
My company’s future, my personal future, my family’s future was in jeopardy by this client. My invincible force began to burst. The reality of life revealed the looming potential downside I faced.
I sent a letter overnight. A letter, unfortunely, that threatened a lawsuit if they did not pay. The next day, I sat watching the online tracking as their package traveled up through Virginia, pass through D.C., until the exact moment the letter arrived at the Baltimore offices.
With a mix of anticipation and dread, I waited for the phone to ring. And ring it did.
Literally minutes after I saw the package was signed for, I answered one of the nastiest calls of my life. The CEO of the company was on the phone, and he threw every cuss word known to man at me. His behavior was startling. I had spoken to this man on numerous occasions, helping him strategize and attract potential employees. And here he was now, viciously attacking me for something that was his own fault. I knew this fight was unnecessary. One of the employees we placed in his company had sold more than $1 million of software for them already, and yet, we were still battling to get paid?
He told me we would never do business with them again.
Then, he wired the money into my account.
Their urgent dismissal was a relief. If this was how they treated people who deliver value to their company, then I never wanted to talk to them again, anyway. Putting my company and life well-being in jeopardy as they hung us out to dry over payments was not a mistake worth repeating.
Tell us a Bedtime Story. Have you ever felt that not only your company, but your well-being, was threatened by a client?
