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We are one | the sum of its part..ners


Damned if you do, damned if you don't, isn't that how the saying goes thought Trustless Terry.  It seemed like just yesterday when "Take it Easy" by the Eagles was playing on the radio, a time where a hand shake meant everything.   Add a bit of spit and you had a commitment that could not be broken, you know like a promise made by John Gotti himself.  My word is my bond.



Just then Avid Andy walked into Terry's office.  Terry started to talk about using partners to fulfill customer requests.  Terry continued, "on one hand we know with all certainty that in order to provide the greatest value to our customers we will need to use partners. Unfortunately we also can still feel the sting of a partner who stole our customer after we introduced them to one another".   As Andy's head was nodding in agreement he decided to contribute an additional perspective.



Terry, said Andy, I would like to believe that every business always had the customer's interests at the top of their list. The reality is that customers interests are one of the variables used to make informed business decisions. With the advent of the "gig economy" service providers have begun to lose their leverage in deciding how work is executed and by whom. It's quite a conundrum, the customer sees flexibility to mix-and-match service providers, the service organization assumes the risk in delivering a solution. When you really think about it Terry we need to consider several things when contemplating the use of non-company resources, such as:


  • is it core? the lowest hanging fruit will always be those functions requested by a customer which are not core to our mission as a service organization. This can get a bit tricky, sometimes egos influence our decision process
  • is it legal? regardless of industry or location, many rules exist regarding the blending of workforces. Wages, insurance, certifications, licensing, union and nonunion, it deserves your attention
  • is it profitable? If I can sell all the materials, which is normally my highest margin opportunity, and markup my external labor providers numbers, and not take on the potential risk of executing the work, does it start to make sense?



Moral: past experiences should influence, yet not dictate your future

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