Here’s something I’ve never been able to unhear: trust is the currency of business. More on this in the Flowline Section.
Welcome to my Public Journal. Here, I share the journey of building a company, my thoughts on life, and the random things I find useful.
Why are you getting this? Because at some point, our paths crossed. This is my way of staying in touch.
Flowline Health
We’re in the middle of an interesting deal.
We’ve had to totally reinvent our pricing model. The whitespace is fun, but I keep catching my lesser demons trying to slip in clauses that tilt things a little too far in Flowline’s favor.
But I think to myself: if the goal here is to work with this customer forever, does a sneaky clause that might screw them help me or hurt me?
Obviously, it hurts me.
I once heard that trust is the currency of business. Conceptually, I know this to be true, but it hits home in the moments where trust is actually built.
Here’s a thought exercise: In your personal life, when have you decided to trust someone?
Often, it’s when someone’s helped you or exposed themselves as vulnerable. They have shown a token of trust that you will not hurt them, and you return it in exchange.
So back to the deal.
I’ve made myself a rule: every time I send a contract, I’ll make sure the customer fully understands every line (pricing, minimums, refunds, everything).
I never want a scenario where a customer comes back and says, “Wait, I didn’t know we agreed to this.”
Why? Because life is easier when you trust each other. And what is a business if not making life easier for your customers.
Story of the week
Remember the ghostwriter I signed last newsletter? (Shout out to Morgan Snyder)
When we first signed the contract, I sent him this email.
I then proceeded to be high-touch.
Our calls are nothing like I expected. Rather than him creating content for me, the dynamic feels much more like a writer’s room / personal coaching session. And while I leave electrified, I was worried that my over-opinionated nature was a bother.
Until our most recent call.
As we were wrapping up he said, “This is really good, man. Most people get on these calls, and it’s like pulling teeth. But your input is helpful, it gives me stuff to work with.”
Turns out, my over-opinionated nature actually helped him do his job better.
AI Tools That Help Me
Some of you know I have severe dysgraphia. It’s like dyslexia, but for writing (I couldn’t spell ‘because’ until I was 9).
To help with this, I rely on two apps:
WisprFlow: I speak into my computer, and it’s made me twice as fast.
VoicePal: This is what I’m using to write this newsletter now.
Both tools give me a tremendous amount of leverage and time back every day.
Thought bugs
“We all want to hear: I believe you can be more, but you’re enough already.”
This theme has run through my entire adult life. It’s beautiful to see it put into words.
Bonus note: Every time I publish this newsletter, I get a few texts. And while I appreciate it, make sure to leave a like and comment so the Substack algorithm knows you like this!
Trust and transparency over everything, love it
Great thought bug!