Self-employed and the Competition

My parents made a living being self employed.

I learned most of what I know about business from them.

They were in the midwest running businesses

that cartered to the farmers in the areas

they would open up a store.

Iowa, Colorado, Kansas and Nebraska.

Being self employed is what I grew up knowing

that is what I wanted to do.

One of many concepts I got from them was

to be friends with your competitors.

You never know when you need them

or they need you on the same side.

Plus it makes life a lot easier for both.

That being said if one of your competitors feel

they are above you or feel inferior to you (whatever)

and they try to best you one way or another.

Have enough business sense to work with it.

Case in point a competitor of mine at the market

out of nowhere lower his black and white drawings 30%

and his color he lowered 27%.

His new price for color was only $1 higher than what

I was selling my black and white drawing for.

I had an OK day, but not as good as I had hope for.

So the next day I was not going to play his game

and lower my prices to match his.

But, what I did do was print up a sign 17” X 16”

that faced the direction of where his customers

could see it clearly from where they were sitting.

The way the sign reads, if someone was to asked

I could say if 3 people are drawn I would only charge for 2

or if 4 people are drawn one would free

or get 2 people drawn in color I will do a black and white.

so on and so on. I left that open. I think you get the picture.

Interesting, not one person asked me about the sign.

I was busy all day, as my competitor most of time

sat in his location watching me work and closed up early.

The next week his prices

were back to what he was normally charging

and they have been that way since.

Note: the line across the bottom of the sign.

the moral of the story.....

If you can’t get along. Have fun.