Self-employment
Undervaluing goods or services is tough on a small businessSteps to successRecently, a jingle client from more than a decade ago called our company and ordered an updated version of the tune we had created for him. LISA BRANDT |
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 [ 2007-08-10 ] |
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© 2007 Jupiterimages Corporation
Back when it first aired, the little ditty actually attracted listener requests. That's a rare compliment for an advertising jingle.
Our company endured several setbacks in its infancy but somehow we survived it all and continue making music to this day.
That jingle re-order confirmed for us that even though we were suffering the New Business Blues, the quality of our work at the time didn't show it.
Overnight guests had to make do with the futon in the living room as Davisville Productions began its life as a collection of recording equipment and instruments in the spare bedroom of our home.
To elbow our way into the competitive advertising industry we created full, original demos for free. All the work was done up front and the client could walk away without paying us a cent. Unfortunately, this tended to happen a lot.
We hired a salesman who spent his days in a local Tim Hortons instead of making calls. He'd turn in receipts from "business meetings" after he and his buddies filled up on double-doubles and doughnuts.
We had to rethink our approach.
First, we got rid of the so-called salesman. Then we instituted a new policy: A 50% deposit for demos and no more working for free, period.
We feared potential clients would balk but the exact opposite happened. Our newfound self-respect inspired potential clients to respect us too, and our business began to take off.
And funnily enough, we discovered that it's much more satisfying to actually be paid for our work, no matter how much we love doing it.
Now, 12 years later, we're still a little partnership, but a much more confident one. We know the value of what we do and that makes it more likely that someone else will see -- and hear -- the value in it too.
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