Poor Service has consequences.

The printing firm where I'd normally print my large flexes is going out of business or shutting down that location.

The set-up cost for that business is well over 200 million naira. I know because they have 2 machines we need in our factory. Each is not less than N25m. That's more than 50m already. They have the largest printing machine that can comfortably print a billboard once. While I don't know the value of that, it looks super expensive talk less of all the other direct printing machines for t-shirts and other stuff.

Left to the machines alone, the business is made.

However, the human element is the factor that wrecked that business.

The staff are so lousy, unprofessional and lack decorum. They have a WhatsApp number with which you can contact them, send your artwork for printing, and then print on conclusion. However, these people will not answer you till you leave everything you're doing and show up in their office. Even when you do, they're busy watching African magic or sleeping. They have zero sense of urgency.

My wife has had her fair share of terrible service while trying to print or make inquiries. Several times, she had tried to get across to the owner to make complaints, but she never succeeded. That's even a story for another day. (How do you have that level of investment and there's no bold display of a number for service complaints/reports?)

Not only were they displaying poor service, but they were also siphoning the monies paid for those jobs to their accounts, etc.

It's sad when I see businesses close down. I always imagine what could have happened differently. I know what could have been done differently in this case. The oversight was poor. The quality of the staff was poor; bad attitude, ill-training, and no proper systems and structure required to operationalize that business.

As they shut down the business, the owner fired everyone except a few machine operators. They're somewhere now praying for new jobs, sharing CVs and prayer points, or even starting their businesses.

Well, will theirs succeed? Only God can tell. But planted seeds don't lie.

My advice to businesspeople reading this article/post is this: If your business fails, your employees will move on, however, it will be hard for you to move on. Any failed business changes and impacts you one way or another.  Hence, you need to do anything (ethically) to protect your business/investments. If there's someone or a group of people destroying your culture, do the needful! Cancer earlier treated and isolated, protects the body.

As a business person/entrepreneur, Invest in training your Employees, Implement Strong Oversight and Management strategies, promote a customer-centric Culture, help them know that the true king in the business is the customer, and then, monitor and address employee conduct.

If you're an employee, remember that life comes in seasons and cycles and every action is a seed. A question you need to ask yourself is this, With the way you're taking your job today, if God gives you an employee like you, what will be the state of your business? 

The success of a business is a reflection of the combined efforts and attitudes of its owners and employees. Every party has a role to play in ensuring its success and sustainability.

Selah!

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