3 ms·

Keep your personal and business expenses separate. Make sure you have a proper C Corp setup. If you ever intend to raise money, make it a Delaware C. Don't unde

Keep your personal and business expenses separate. Make sure you have a proper C Corp setup. If you ever intend to raise money, make it a Delaware C. Don't underestimate the mental health impact of the uncertainty and sheer weirdness. Don't be surprised if you level up skill wise faster. Don't be afraid to invest personally if there is ROI, sometimes people under capitalize lifestyle businesses and they could do better by rolling more money back in. About 5% of customers will not hesitate to be abusive, pay extremely late or exploit the fact that you're small. Learn what they feel like in the sales process. The first time you'll be convinced it's you, and blow at least a month. Learn to fire them during the sales process or insulate yourself with much worse terms for them and stronger for you (paid up front, higher rate, easy out for you). Dealing with abusive customers is one of the hardest "didn't expect that" things I've experienced. Otherwise, enjoy.

muzani 8y ago
With abusive customers, it's usually best to set up an SOP to detect then filter them out. I'm totally against the whole "customer is always right" mindset because that's a beacon for abusive customers. Generally they hang around the cheapest priced products. I agree that tough terms are good at filtering them out. You might even have to be a little aloof, but not outright rude. Things like pay up front, by a certain date, is great for this.
- mattm 8y ago
  The original quote of "the customer is always right" referred to"the customer" as the market as in the collective group of customers is always right. As anyone who has worked in retail or has had customer interactions can attest to, individual customers can be very wrong.
- matt_the_bass 8y ago
  What is SOP?
  - atsaloli 8y ago
    Standard Operating Procedure
el_dev_hell 8y ago
> About 5% of customers will not hesitate to be abusive, pay extremely late or exploit the fact that you're small. Learn what they feel like in the sales process. The first time you'll be convinced it's you, and blow at least a month. Learn to fire them during the sales process or insulate yourself with much worse terms for them and stronger for you (paid up front, higher rate, easy out for you). Dealing with abusive customers is one of the hardest "didn't expect that" things I've experienced. Otherwise, enjoy. Some of the best advice I've seen in a while. In my situation, most clients/users are amazing, understanding, and appreciate the work we're doing. Between 5% and 10% are insane. In my very small part of the market, I've learned that most horrible clients will be either very small (1-2 employee businesses or family operations) or enterprise level with sloppy internal policies. I try to catch on early and tweak the terms to: a) discourage them from using us b) insulate us from their hellish behavior.
mrfusion 8y ago
Any tips to recognize those customers?
rajacombinator 8y ago
Don’t form a C Corp unless and until you have people with a 6+ figure check lined up.

muzani 8y ago

With abusive customers, it's usually best to set up an SOP to detect then filter them out. I'm totally against the whole "customer is always right" mindset because that's a beacon for abusive customers. Generally they hang around the cheapest priced products. I agree that tough terms are good at filtering them out. You might even have to be a little aloof, but not outright rude. Things like pay up front, by a certain date, is great for this.

mattm 8y ago
The original quote of "the customer is always right" referred to"the customer" as the market as in the collective group of customers is always right. As anyone who has worked in retail or has had customer interactions can attest to, individual customers can be very wrong.
matt_the_bass 8y ago
What is SOP?
- atsaloli 8y ago
  Standard Operating Procedure

el_dev_hell 8y ago

> About 5% of customers will not hesitate to be abusive, pay extremely late or exploit the fact that you're small. Learn what they feel like in the sales process. The first time you'll be convinced it's you, and blow at least a month. Learn to fire them during the sales process or insulate yourself with much worse terms for them and stronger for you (paid up front, higher rate, easy out for you). Dealing with abusive customers is one of the hardest "didn't expect that" things I've experienced. Otherwise, enjoy. Some of the best advice I've seen in a while. In my situation, most clients/users are amazing, understanding, and appreciate the work we're doing. Between 5% and 10% are insane. In my very small part of the market, I've learned that most horrible clients will be either very small (1-2 employee businesses or family operations) or enterprise level with sloppy internal policies. I try to catch on early and tweak the terms to: a) discourage them from using us b) insulate us from their hellish behavior.

mrfusion 8y ago

Any tips to recognize those customers?

rajacombinator 8y ago

Don’t form a C Corp unless and until you have people with a 6+ figure check lined up.