Tag: Business

I’m just touching base

Posted on by philipdodson

‘Let me run this by you, I’m just touching base to see if we can get together to stir up some ideas in the think wok’

There are many other common examples of this ‘corporate speak’.

Even within the startup world ‘we’re on-boarding assets onto our new crowdfunded community focused online learning platform’.

No matter how much window dressing you place, two things will happen.

First, people will translate the fluffing up into real plain words and secondly, if what you’re doing has no real substance beyond the fluff, after a while the illusion is blown.

The dressing can be great but substance with an understated exceptional delivery will always be better in whatever we do.

Expecting it for free

Posted on by philipdodson


The problem with the culture of many startups, freelancers and entrepreneurs expecting other people’s services for free are twofold.

One, you are devaluing someone else’s services and unlikely to build a good relationship and they are unlikely to focus on you as a cherished customer. Over time, the goodwill fades and they feel taken advantage of and resent it.

Second, it will come back to bite you, as the support of this culture will lead to others expecting the same from you.

It is a spiralling race to the bottom for all concerned where everything becomes devalued.

Pay people a fair value for their work. Bartering and a fair exchange of services are completely different, as are genuine one-off acts of generosity where someone offers to help for nothing in return.