There’s a scene in “About a Boy” where Will realizes: “No man is an island.”
Same applies to business. I spend a lot of time talking about keeping clients happy…because its important. They’re the lifeblood. But there’s a whole other side that doesn’t get as much air time: our vendors. The printers. The die-cutters. The label specialists. The finishers. The logistics partners.
These aren’t order-takers we bark demands at. They’re the backbone of what we deliver.
Here’s what I’ve learned; You can’t treat vendors like they need you more than you need them. Because the truth? We need each other. I can’t produce anything without them. They can’t grow without clients like us. It’s mutual.
Respect buys respect. Loyalty buys loyalty. If I call one of my vendors with a crazy timeline or a complex ask, they say yes because we’ve built something real over the years. Not because we squeeze them on price or treat them like they’re replaceable. Because we show up, pay fairly, and treat them like partners.
The vendors who take care of you remember it. The ones you nickel-and-dime? They remember that too.
Same standard applies: Clients get our best. Vendors get our respect. That’s not weakness — that’s business acumen. You can’t build quality on a foundation of bad relationships.
So yeah, keep your clients happy. But don’t forget the people making it possible.