Just Say No: There's A Price For Flexibility
In the early stages of a business, there’s a temptation to be flexible to get more business.
I’ve seen and done this often in software companies (“Yes! We’ll make that custom feature for you!”).
Now I’ve fallen into it in the baking business. I see my food peers around me doing this as well. (probably to Tom’s detriment and annoyance. Sorry Tom!).
“Oh can you deliver it a little further?”
“I can’t make it to the pickup location at 8am — can you do it at 7:30am?”
“We didn’t get our order in on time, but can you still make this happen by tomorrow?”
Saying “no” feels impossible. It feels like saying no to money. To growth. To success.
But every time we do it, we spend previous effort, time, and sanity on a one time fix, rather than building the systems, processes, and machinery that will make money forever.