If you infuse enough of your personal values into your business, your product or service will have your DNA.
For start-ups, you must always find what makes you different from what is currently available. What is your company’s Unique Selling Proposition (USP)?
When we started supplying Robinsons group, I didn’t know that they’d become one of our top three resellers in such a short amount of time.
Before the first year ended having them as a partner, their head of the frozen goods section called me and said, “Sir Paco, na unplug ang freezer ninyo at natunawan kayo ng ice cream. (Sir Paco, your freezer got unplugged and your ice cream melted.)” Since our contract was on a COD agreement, I could’ve insisted they pay for a new delivery. It wasn’t our fault.
But instead, I said, “Don’t worry. I won’t charge you. I will replace everything”
It was a decision rooted in looking at the long-term relationship, not profit. If I focused on profit for that day, we could have possibly lost out on the long-term relationship. That moment said a lot on how we deal with our resellers, and how much we support them.
Your company is an extension of who you are. If you lead with trust and play the long game, people will realize you are in business for the long haul. If you lead with fear, doubt and greed, they sense that too. Values compound the same way money does. You just have to give it time.
