01/25/2022
One of my biggest clients made millions off of doing subcontract work for his competitors. He had everything and more than what most of his competitors had. His intentions were to be a direct vendor, but his plate was kept full by his competitors who did all the work of connecting with businesses to be granted new projects. They utilize all of his assets (employees, tools, and equipment), but only paid a small fraction of what he believes they most likely were paid.
It’s no surprise that his competitors were all white, but what does come as a surprise is that he never invested in growing his brand. He explained that it was never a need for him to spend money on marketing because his company was already growing.
However, as soon as Covid hit and the political landscape towards the end of Trump administration heated up, he noticed a change in communication with his competitors. He was use to the daily/weekly calls amongst the small circle of owners in his industry. To no longer being a part of group messages, email chains, and calls, he was more than certain from another insider that communication was still happening without him.
Although he feels strongly about this change being connected to his race as a black man, he also realize his mistake in not investing into his brand when business was good.
I wanted to share his story to highlight the danger of complacency. Never put the fate of your business in the hands of few, because once someone gets intimidated, retires, or find something better, then you’re back at square one.
