The Universal Business Truth (as told by my dad)
I love my dad. His house is .27 miles from mine. He was a single father for much of my life and I’ve always adored him. He’s an incredible artist with a variety of skills mastered. I remember as a child watching him paint every night. I didn’t understand his art until adulthood, but I admired it nonetheless. For much of my life, he was a graphic designer working on marketing campaigns you’ve all seen before and years ago, he began work as a designer for a national sign firm and has since become the senior director of design. So, let’s just modestly say he has an eye for design. Better than I ever will.
Most people assume that artistic designers are lofty, dreamy people not oriented with savvy business skills, and those people would be wrong. My father told me a universal business truth that I want to share with you. It has stuck with me since I was 13 (and he’ll be shocked to read that I remember it)- on a triangle, only two sides are available to lean on in business. You can turn it any which way and one point is always in the air, left out- you can’t have it. Then he illustrated it (in a much sexier way than I’ve mustered up):
Although he probably learned this in college from some top economist (and my dad’s one of the smartest people alive, I even got in a fist fight in 3rd grade over my dad being smarter than everyone else’s), I still attribute this concept to him. So, in all transactions I know that no matter how badly you want all three, a triangle only allows two, so remember:
You can have a quality product quickly, but you’ll sacrifice cost.
You can have an inexpensive product quickly, but you’ll sacrifice quality.
You can have a quality product inexpensively, but you’ll sacrifice time.
So, if you want my quality services rendered quickly, it’s going to cost you. If you want my quality services inexpensively, it will be in my time frame, not yours. If you just want a quick, inexpensive product, it won’t be as high quality as it would if you’d given me more time (or… you knew it- money).
So, thanks dad for being my inspiration for teaching us the universal business truth that transcends all businesses!
December 11th, 2007 at 3:59 am
Very well put.
You and your dad concluded the same thing I said this morning — just get RESULTS.
December 11th, 2007 at 4:36 am
Your Dad sounds like a a hell of a guy. Smart too!
You know, you asked me not too long ago to point out something you could speak to.
Well, here you go…
December 11th, 2007 at 11:53 pm
Did you win the fight?
December 12th, 2007 at 3:46 am
HELL YES I won the fight. I wouldn’t throw punches if I wasn’t 100% sure I was right.
My dad emailed me after reading this and said “I’m disappointed to hear you used your 3rd-grade-fists in anger…I thought I had taught you better..use your feet, or a stick or rock…”
Also, he noted “BTW: there actually is a business where fast, cheap and good all meet on the same plane. See attached.” The attached picture was some skeezy chick leaning on the sidewalk leaning over into a car…
And now, you all know why I am the way I am. Thanks, Dad!
December 12th, 2007 at 4:19 am
You can also thank me for having your weird little tail removed at birth. Didn’t know about that one, did ya?
December 12th, 2007 at 4:52 am
This is what I get for inviting you to my blog? I hate you so hard.
December 12th, 2007 at 5:04 am
Ok. I’m actually at a loss for words. Yours is one wierd family.
December 15th, 2007 at 1:23 am
Lani - A timeless lesson in business!
December 19th, 2007 at 5:28 am
[...] Digerati Life has Cool Gift suggestions for the Real Estate Lover this Holiday Season. ReRevaled just revealed that in business there are three ingredients to chose from, Good, Fast, and Cheap, but you can only [...]
December 20th, 2007 at 3:43 am
My business teacher at TX State said it this way:
You want it good?
You want it fast?
You want it cheap?
Pick any two.
I wish someone would tell that to my boss.
January 8th, 2008 at 7:59 pm
I like a wierd family and LOVE that your Daddy revealed that family tail secret..:)
January 8th, 2008 at 9:01 pm
Weird? Who are you calling weird?
JK- thanks for supporting my father’s twisted humor, Tara… you have no idea what you’ve unleashed! 