As I talk to people about their mobile application needs, I’m struck by how many people are making offers in this area. There seems to be a gold rush of sorts going on. As has been said prior, it is 1994 all over again. People are over-promising and under-delivering their capabilities and time-lines that they can deliver. And it is causing a bit of distrust in the industry.

It’s not just coming from suppliers though. I also see it in the clients. Clients are seduced by promises of little work, low cost and fast time-lines. When a supplier requires more work, more money and more time, clients understandably get frustrated. Unfortunately, though, it’s never as simple as a supplier making requests of the client.

What is much more likely to happen is that the supplier simply stops taking calls. The client, still seduced by getting such a great deal, and knowing that to hire someone else would be very expensive, does everything they can to get the supplier back on track. They end up having to sacrifice in some way with scope or cost in order to get the supplier to do what he already promised to do . . . finish the job. In my experience, these type of suppliers never finish. When they do its usually been half-ass completed as a way to get the client off the suppliers back. The supplier usually doesn’t collect on the final payment because, they just don’t want to talk the client again. At that point the supplier either gives up the business or is off to bullshit another client. Sometimes the client ignores the time and energy it took to see a completed product and pats themselves on the back for not paying a lot.

Clients, if this happens to you once, it’s understandable. You’ll still have to pay the consequences. If it happens more than once, and you’re not seeing the consequences, you need to ask yourself why you invite these situations to repeat. After all, it’s your business that’s suffering. You are doing business with people who don’t care about your need or concerns. Why is that? Are you unable to notice poor ethics because you have poor ethics yourself? Fix that. Ambitious businesspeople are usually able to see ambition in others. If you don’t see it in the people offering you help, move on. Those people can’t help you. They will only hurt you.

Maybe you think you’re clever or special. Maybe you think you’re so great, people want to throw help at you. The reality is that, at best, you’re gullible. At worst, you might not have the intellect to be a business owner.

Good help costs money. Get used to that. If you are in the habit of not wanting to pay for good help, that help will never find you. You’ll then be left with what’s left over. At best, you’ll be stuck exactly where you are and at worst, you won’t have to worry about your business any longer.

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