Today’s interview is with a long-time friend of mine, Greg Smuk – the co-founder of Splitpixel, a web design company that has made good noise in recent years.
It was good to catch up with Greg and discuss mistakes and issues, and more importantly, how to overcome them. As a business owner of around four-years, he’s seen many pitfalls, but overcome them all.
Watch the video below and see how a young go-getter is taking on the world. Can you pick up some tips along the way?
Interview Overview:
Difficult Clients
All clients are great, but some can cause a few issues. Greg talks about a recommendation from a friend, and how it led to a new client that wasn’t 100% genuine.
Managing Money
The client in question only seemed happy to pay when a new job was needed. This meant that Greg and his team were always chasing him, and at some point the potential of this client disappearing was high.
When A Client Goes Rogue
Unfortunately this came after the client made his biggest order yet. He seemed to vanish into thin air, which not only cost Splitpixel time, but a decent amount of money, too.
Emotionally Draining
Splitpixel were still a very young company at the time, so such an issue was draining, not only on resources, but for the mind as well. In the end they had to sweep it under the carpet, despite a great deal of searching along the way.
Create A Solid Process
This was a big learning curve for Greg as he discusses the processes and contracts they created on the back of this. Splitpixel still don’t live their life by paperwork, and they still show a great deal of trust, but it’s backed up with a process that protects them.
Don’t Be Naive
Greg offers some simple advice to young entrepreneurs looking to start up: don’t be naive. For the most part good people roam this world, but there are also folk who take advantage. Protect yourself, but don’t be too distrusting. Building a relationship is still important, and this can’t be done through a never ending cycle of contracts.
Thank you for dropping by, and please check out Greg and the team at Splitpixel.
Turndog Millionaire – @turndog_million
