"Coming back to customers. Do you invest in extracting short term money from customers? Or do you invest in long term relations. In the case of ManyCam they cou

"Coming back to customers. Do you invest in extracting short term money from customers? Or do you invest in long term relations. In the case of ManyCam they could have sold me add-ons that feel like they are worth it. By honoring the lifetime license the likelihood of me buying from them increases. It is the same as from the detour. In the beginning it’s about getting traction, then about getting money. And then the key to growth is retention. If you want to grow your customer base, the first thing is to prevent customers leaving. If you fill water in a bucket with a hole - something I’ve seen in to many startups on how they use marketing without product market fit - then after some time the bucket is empty when you stop pouring. So don’t make your customers run away." When I was in high school I had an opportunity to learn customer service from one of the greatest businessmen that lived. My grandpa, the produce farmer and peach orchardist. He owned and operated the largest peach orchard in Oregon at the time and had customers that had been returning to his orchard for a lifetime. Why, would they keep coming back? Because he made a produced a final product that was so sweet and juicy the flavors would explode in your mouth and the juice would run down you arm and drip off your elbow. Because they wanted to support a family man that was dedicated to providing a good living for his family, who also worked for him. Because they wanted to get out of the city and see, for the briefest of moments, what is was like in the fresh air and sunshine of the Oregon countryside. Because they wanted the opportunity to harvest the food they were going to eat and choose what they wanted for themselves. and many other reasons... He would talk with customers he would see only once or twice a year and discuss the topics of the day in a down to earth way that only a farmer can express. And they would keep coming back... Don't run off your customers. They are a business' most valuable asset. If you want to know more about customer service and how it used to be, read Les Schwab's book, "Pride in Performance: Keep It Going".