When you are in the throes of growing your business, you learn pretty quickly the importance of what you say and how you say it, as one false move can work against every pertinent relationship you have. The fact of the matter is, relationships, from clients to customers to employees, are all as important as each other. But when you are looking to make positive headway in business, which relationships do you need to make the most of?
The Bankers
Due to fact that they are directly responsible for the stability of your business in a financial sense, you need to treat them with the utmost respect. This may be the equivalent of teaching your grandmother to suck eggs, but you are going to need startup loans, good lines of credit, and you will, from time to time, need to get out of a jam as quickly as possible. It’s important not to make a bad name for yourself, because your reputation will always precede you in this respect. Forming a solid relationship with any banker will most definitely “pay” off.
The Vendors
When you are trying to support your business in every way possible, it’s the vendors that you need to keep sweet. Whether it’s your IT support, or the most of basic of stationery and equipment suppliers, you have to acquire a solid and reliable relationship with your vendors. If something was to arise, for example, you need to pay late, you have to ensure they will be there in your hour of need. One very simple way to do this: respect them! Without the vendors, you are missing the most important piece of the puzzle. When your business grows to the point where there is excessive demand for products, everything needs to be flowing freely and quickly.
The Mentors
So many entrepreneurs feel they can tackle whatever comes at them by themselves, but when certain sticking points come up, they have no-one to turn to. Mentorship provides an invaluable insight into problems that could arise, but it also provides a personal lifeline. There are going to be times where you have no clue what to do next, and you will need someone who has that lifetime knowledge that you are not able to acquire just yet. Finding an entrepreneur you admire helps you to emulate them in certain ways, without sacrificing your originality, but it also helps you to nurture positive relationships. The right entrepreneur that can send an email to you every now and again is a great way to develop a distant relationship that benefits your business. And, always remember to be gracious, as they are giving a lot of time to you, when they could be doing something far more beneficial for their business.
In addition to these, you should never underestimate your customers and employees, but also consider the relationships outside of the working environment. Think about your impact on them but also consider what time outside of the working environment can do for you in a rejuvenating sense. We can focus a lot on harnessing working relationships with people, that we can very easily neglect the relationships outside of our business empire.
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