tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22311364.post3806829319943160098..comments2024-03-27T21:40:39.130-07:00Comments on Small Biz Thoughts by Karl W. Palachuk: Vlad Dropped Me!Karl W. Palachukhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10854725002875547297noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22311364.post-82069282940109865492008-04-21T19:12:00.000-07:002008-04-21T19:12:00.000-07:00Brian,Thanks for saving me an email and an awkward...Brian,<BR/><BR/>Thanks for saving me an email and an awkward phone call. :)<BR/><BR/>Just kidding, the house cleaning at OWN is complete. The details of what happened, the client details, and percentages are of course confidential and you're not going to see me bashing Karl or his clients. I am sure they are wonderful to his balance sheet.<BR/><BR/>What I wrote today, and what Karl writes all the time, is that you should focus on your business and run your business, not let your business run you. Part of growth is part of evaluation of your client base, of your service standards, of your SLA failures, uptime/downtime, profit/loss, it's a game of measurement and optimization. <BR/><BR/>While each case is unique and handled in a special way, some matters are black and white: Is the account profitable? Is the business growing or shrinking? Is the investment in a product line worth it or not.<BR/><BR/>Just like OWN picks up and drops clients, so do IT Solution providers pick up and drop solutions that may or may not suit their direction.<BR/><BR/>The more connected you become in this business and the larger (more reputable you get) partnerships make more money and they mean more. But they have to make more sense for both parties. When they don't you can stay unhappy/unprofitable or you can make a business decision to improve.<BR/><BR/>All that Karl puts into his blog and company, all that I put into my blog and company, is about helping people grow and improve. You should know that KP Enterprises and OWN do not have two employees that didn't get along - I love Karl like a brother. There are more people, clients, transactions and communications that you have to look at as a businessman and decide whether they make sense. Life goes on, we learn, we grow, and the only important thing is that while we do so we don't lose sight of what is important and how our actions reflect on ourselves, our partners, the businesses we run, employees we manage and clients we all serve.<BR/><BR/>-VladAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22311364.post-49817489376211052512008-04-20T11:45:00.000-07:002008-04-20T11:45:00.000-07:00The details are between me and Vlad.The point of m...The details are between me and Vlad.<BR/><BR/>The point of my post is: Put the important stuff first.<BR/><BR/>The important stuff for me and Vlad is to maintain our relationship.Karl W. Palachukhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10854725002875547297noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22311364.post-61487257215664958602008-04-20T06:43:00.000-07:002008-04-20T06:43:00.000-07:00Karl,This doesn't make sense, KP Enterpises, a ver...Karl,<BR/><BR/>This doesn't make sense, KP Enterpises, a very well known business and figure in the SMB space who puts Vlad, OWN and ED on a pedestal is just fired?<BR/><BR/>If you had a troublesome client putting a strain on your relationship with OWN, then I'd imagine that client is difficult for you too, why not just let that client go and maintain the relationship with OWN? That's assuming OWN products are integral in your business process as publicly stated.<BR/><BR/>More concerning is in Vlad's 90/10 rule is that I'd imaginge KP Enterprises consulting volume falls in the 10% of Vlad's good business accounts. There's a lot of us who are very small and probably don't come anywhere near your volume, so even though we're not high maintenance are we going to on the chopping block next?<BR/><BR/>I guess I'll wait to see if we get the chopping email next.<BR/><BR/>Brian WilliamsAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com