It’s not you, it’s me
Sometimes compromise is not the best thing to do
Every business has an ideal client. If you’re in business, you need to know who that is.
(If you haven’t worked that out yet, then we definitely need to talk! I’ve got some tools that will help make sense of this process).
If you are clear and your marketing is en pointe, you will attract your ideal client most of the time. If either of these is off, then it’s going to be hit or miss frequently.
I might sound like a control freak in what I’m about to say, but you should pay attention and think about my words carefully.
Do not compromise your values for anyone.
If something feels icky. It’s not right for you. They’re not right for you.
Here is the number one thing that you need to know as a professional service provider:
You cannot want this, more than your client.
You can’t.
If you want it more than them, whatever “it” is, then this is going to cause you frustration and end up causing discontent in the relationship. Discontent causes rifts, and that is a downward spiral my friend.
The people that work with you should be clear about the effort you put into supporting them and their business. If they don’t know or if they overlook this, then you are not in alignment.
You can, and you should decline to work with anyone who does not align with your values. Whether that is clear from the beginning, or if the situation changes with time.
This can feel like all kinds of yuck to follow through with, but you need to. To do otherwise is wasting everyone’s time and money.