I had a bit of a revelation today which I think relates to a bunch of businesses but very directly to the “Relationship Business” of CrossFit that Greg Glassman refers to in his “At the Chalkboard” series on the CrossFit Journal (which you should absolutely be watching).  

As a business owner you have to wear two hats at once: that of a customer and a provider (for lack of a better word).  It seems kind of obvious I suppose but it’s really easy to forget how different these two roles really are, especially in the “Start Up” phase.  

As a business in the “Start Up” phase I’m spending a lot of money and buying a lot of different stuff.  I’ve spent money on rent, contractors, permit expediters, equipment suppliers, website development, client tracking software, and more. When you’re buying stuff you kinda get waited on hand and foot.  People are calling me to remind me about this and that, offering me deals and checking in and being really friendly.  Of course they are, I’m giving them money, if they want my money they need to treat me nice or I’ll go elsewhere.  It’s really easy to get sucked into how easy this role is.  

Here’s the problem: it’s really easy to forget that not everyone you deal with will treat you like this aka your potential athletes (I don’t like the word client).  Your athlete’s expect this from you, not the other way around.  When you’re in the start up phase and generally doing a lot of buying it’s really easy to get trapped in the “customer” frame of mind and forget that you need to rock the “provider” hat too. 

I’ve been VERY guilty of this lately and have had to snap out of today and make amends.  A few people have emailed me asking about my business (which is REALLY RARE and awesome!) and I’ve been stupid enough to assume they’re beholden to me (very “customer” hat) and I can get back to them whenever I want.  WRONG!! I’ve already lost some business from my inability to switch hats.  

When you’re the purchaser people will constantly stay in touch with you and follow up with you (relish those opportunities because unfortunately they are rare). When you’re the provider, however, if you don’t follow up with people and make it YOUR responsibility to maintain a connection they will leave you quickly and they rightfully should.  Know which hat you need to wear and be ready to change it really quickly. 

PS… A perfect example of me not wearing two hats is how infrequently I’ve updated this blog.  Sorry to anyone who reads this.. I’ll be a better provider from here on out.