Not All Business is Good Business

I recently asked the founder of a consulting firm what business they turn down. This question was met with a surprised look and a lengthy pause.  When the founder responded I heard through an exhale “oh boy, I need to say no more often.” 

I am a leader who says no to business.

There, I said it. 

It seems a counterintuitive approach to running a business or leading a team. It is not. Not all business is good business. In fact, some business can be worse than no business.

Here’s why.

The biggest asset a leader has is their team. And no matter your industry, your team’s relationship with their work and with their “client” can make or break their experience working for you. 

“Bad” business has an eroding effect on people, your main assets.  Bad business is the engagements that leave teams devalued and drained because either the service is not the right fit or the partnership is not properly constructed.  Alignment is absent.

Sure, all business brings top line revenue to a firm but not all business translates to a healthy bottom line.

What does “good” business look like?  

Good business is the engagements that bring together teams, strategy partners who are unified around a shared goal with clear expectations of one another.  They are engagements that result in leveraged expertise and client champions.  

And they contribute to a healthy bottom line profit that can be reinvested in your biggest asset, your  team.