A friendship founded on business is a good deal better than a business founded on friendship.
-John D. Rockefeller-
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There could never be more truth to Mr. Rockefeller's words of wisdom. I had the opportunity to experience the harsh reality of his words today.
Just a few months back, a friend who worked in the events industry got my help to write and design an entire magazine which they specifically wanted to produce for a business awards event. Only a handful of complete materials were passed on to myself and my designer friend (muffin), even after they had postponed the event from the initial date. The event is scheduled to be on next week, but they are still taking their own sweet time to gather and compile submissions from clients till this week. They had wanted me to submit the final pagination and output files by yesterday. So that got to me. I snapped. I had a face off with her bosses (well, through phone calls, emails and text messages anyway) and in the end, the job got canned.
You see, the real problem didn't end there. I got a cheque for the cancellation fee but they pulled off some majorly fucked up shit behind my back. If you hadn't already guessed, my cheque got bounced. I already predicted this even before receiving the cheque. These particular business folks didn't fail to live up to my expectations. They failed to plan a proper working timeline and are now sprinting their way to meet an impossible deadline, but in the end I am the victim.
I bet they must be damn pissed because I initially refused to pass them the unfinished winner profiles. I clearly told them I am only passing them the approved files. But of course they had their own impressions of what I was going to submit. Finally I did send over the files, but this shit is still happening. Methinks their receiving antennas need some major fine tuning. Someone please scoop up their brains and soak 'em in acid before shoving 'em all back into their cracked skeletons?!! A 5-year-old know would know the payment is just for reimbursement of the work that we have already started. These brainless assholes are thinking that the money coming out of their pockets can buy whatever they think they can.
My friend is caught in the middle but I totally believe my anger is justified. I find myself yelling at her for several occasions but I really needed her to listen. They didn't get my point from the beginning, when I tried to manage their expectations of how deadlines for a publication work. It's just plain obvious that they never cared about how things work except for the way they want it to be, which is typically last-minute and without high quality. Although she might be dead trapped between her donkeyballs management and me at most times, there were tons of ways to work in a more organised manner. Clients who are difficult to manage still needs to be managed cleverly. They just allowed everyone to move in a typical Bolehland working pace. It's too late now to say that this day could've been avoided because it already happened. I really need to buy muffin a very nice dinner. Make that dinners. I'm sorry to drag a good friend into this mess. He is such a talented designer but I wasted his time, energy and effort. Thank goodness he has such an open heart. I could never be more thankful. I am blessed too because Bun has so much patience to listen to me curse up a storm about these fucktards.
I so trust that Karma's going to show them what a bitch she is. Holla at me, Karma! *high five*
p/s: Awards are so full of bullshit because honestlydevils businessmen just buy them to showcase in a cabinet. What else is new in Bolehland?
-John D. Rockefeller-
_________________________________________________________________________________
There could never be more truth to Mr. Rockefeller's words of wisdom. I had the opportunity to experience the harsh reality of his words today.
Just a few months back, a friend who worked in the events industry got my help to write and design an entire magazine which they specifically wanted to produce for a business awards event. Only a handful of complete materials were passed on to myself and my designer friend (muffin), even after they had postponed the event from the initial date. The event is scheduled to be on next week, but they are still taking their own sweet time to gather and compile submissions from clients till this week. They had wanted me to submit the final pagination and output files by yesterday. So that got to me. I snapped. I had a face off with her bosses (well, through phone calls, emails and text messages anyway) and in the end, the job got canned.
You see, the real problem didn't end there. I got a cheque for the cancellation fee but they pulled off some majorly fucked up shit behind my back. If you hadn't already guessed, my cheque got bounced. I already predicted this even before receiving the cheque. These particular business folks didn't fail to live up to my expectations. They failed to plan a proper working timeline and are now sprinting their way to meet an impossible deadline, but in the end I am the victim.
I bet they must be damn pissed because I initially refused to pass them the unfinished winner profiles. I clearly told them I am only passing them the approved files. But of course they had their own impressions of what I was going to submit. Finally I did send over the files, but this shit is still happening. Methinks their receiving antennas need some major fine tuning. Someone please scoop up their brains and soak 'em in acid before shoving 'em all back into their cracked skeletons?!! A 5-year-old know would know the payment is just for reimbursement of the work that we have already started. These brainless assholes are thinking that the money coming out of their pockets can buy whatever they think they can.
My friend is caught in the middle but I totally believe my anger is justified. I find myself yelling at her for several occasions but I really needed her to listen. They didn't get my point from the beginning, when I tried to manage their expectations of how deadlines for a publication work. It's just plain obvious that they never cared about how things work except for the way they want it to be, which is typically last-minute and without high quality. Although she might be dead trapped between her donkeyballs management and me at most times, there were tons of ways to work in a more organised manner. Clients who are difficult to manage still needs to be managed cleverly. They just allowed everyone to move in a typical Bolehland working pace. It's too late now to say that this day could've been avoided because it already happened. I really need to buy muffin a very nice dinner. Make that dinners. I'm sorry to drag a good friend into this mess. He is such a talented designer but I wasted his time, energy and effort. Thank goodness he has such an open heart. I could never be more thankful. I am blessed too because Bun has so much patience to listen to me curse up a storm about these fucktards.
I so trust that Karma's going to show them what a bitch she is. Holla at me, Karma! *high five*
p/s: Awards are so full of bullshit because honestly
1 comments:
OMFG the quote is happening to me.
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