People worth avoiding in business

[Ari]

Anyone who signs emails with 'Best'. Presumably because they feel that they are far too busy and important and you're too insignificant to warrant spending the time to add 'regards'. See also 'BR'. All w anchors.

People who run tiny companies but have in their email signature 'Managing Director' or 'CEO' when it's blindingly obvious that there are no other directors. You've got a small gardening business employing a couple of lads on minimum wage to cut people's grass Kevin, you're not heading up Unilever.

Tradesmen who drive 'sport' vans, all big alloy wheels, front and rear spoilers and Viper stripes. Or 'lifestyle' VW Transporters. Or old Range Rover Sports with cheap personal plates, always black.

Anyone else we should be avoiding?

[Magooagain]

Ari said:

Anyone who signs emails with 'Best'. Presumably because they feel that they are far too busy and important and you're too insignificant to warrant spending the time to add 'regards'. See also 'BR'. All w anchors.

People who run tiny companies but have in their email signature 'Managing Director' or 'CEO' when it's blindingly obvious that there are no other directors. You've got a small gardening business employing a couple of lads on minimum wage to cut people's grass Kevin, you're not heading up Unilever.

Tradesmen who drive 'sport' vans, all big alloy wheels, front and rear spoilers and Viper stripes. Or 'lifestyle' VW Transporters. Or old Range Rover Sports with cheap personal plates, always black.

Anyone else we should be avoiding?

Bad people and angry cats.

[JQ]

Ari said:

Anyone else we should be avoiding?

Those who judge people on things that give no indicator of their ability to do the job in question. I prefer to have an open mind and take people as I find them.

Best

JQ

[Lotobear]

Folk who within the first few minutes of meeting them make you aware of their Christian faith

[Ari]

JQ said:

Those who judge people on things that give no indicator of their ability to do the job in question. I prefer to have an open mind and take people as I find them.

Best

JQ

Just wait until you leave school and have to deal with these people yourself, you'll soon learn!

BR

[Ari]

Lotobear said:

Folk who within the first few minutes of meeting them make you aware of their Christian faith

Yup!

[Landlubber]

Ari said:

Lotobear said:

Folk who within the first few minutes of meeting them make you aware of their Christian faith

Yup!

Hallelujah brother!

[mike80]

JQ said:

Best

JQ

[StevieBee]

Ari said:

People who run tiny companies but have in their email signature 'Managing Director' or 'CEO' when it's blindingly obvious that there are no other directors. You've got a small gardening business employing a couple of lads on minimum wage to cut people's grass Kevin, you're not heading up Unilever.

What alternative would you suggest?

If the company is Ltd, there's a legal requirement for at least one Director to be appointed which in small or micro businesses is usually the owner. And in such businesses, the owner is all things so the designation of Director, Managing Director, etc, are legally acceptable and accurate. They don't have to use anything of course but doing so lets the recipient know they're dealing with the top person and not a min-wage grass cutter.

Small companies tend not to want to remain small so adopting such designation helps them to punch above their weight when pitching to bigger customers.

My view is that anyone who's gotten off their arse, put their money into setting up a business and is prepared to take all the risks and ball ache that goes with running a business, can call themselves what they like and drive what they've like. They've earned the right.

The list of people to avoid doing business with is quite small; people who are too expensive, do a lousy job or are unreliable.

Hope that helps.

Best

Dr StevieBee
Head of Reason and Critical Thought
Pistonheads Incorporated Conglomerate Ltd PLC.

[Jim H]

And.

[Slow.Patrol]

People who want to avoid the VAT. From either side.

One really, really random thing, every time I've had an issue with someone in business, they have been a black coffee drinker. Dunno why. It's probably just coincidence.

[2 sMoKiN bArReLs]

Slow.Patrol said:

People who want to avoid the VAT. From either side.

I've met a couple of people who honestly believed that if you pay in cash there's no need to charge VAT.

[Scabutz]

Anyone who uses the phrases "inbox me", "reach out", "touch base". I had a boss tell me once to "reach out and touch base" with a supplier. I said isnt that a Depeche Mode lyric? He didnt get it. tt.

[2 sMoKiN bArReLs]

Scabutz said:

Anyone who uses the phrases "inbox me", "reach out", "touch base". I had a boss tell me once to "reach out and touch base" with a supplier. I said isnt that a Depeche Mode lyric? He didnt get it. tt.

[Ari]

StevieBee said:

What alternative would you suggest?

If the company is Ltd, there's a legal requirement for at least one Director to be appointed which in small or micro businesses is usually the owner. And in such businesses, the owner is all things so the designation of Director, Managing Director, etc, are legally acceptable and accurate. They don't have to use anything of course but doing so lets the recipient know they're dealing with the top person and not a min-wage grass cutter.

Small companies tend not to want to remain small so adopting such designation helps them to punch above their weight when pitching to bigger customers.

My view is that anyone who's gotten off their arse, put their money into setting up a business and is prepared to take all the risks and ball ache that goes with running a business, can call themselves what they like and drive what they've like. They've earned the right.

The list of people to avoid doing business with is quite small; people who are too expensive, do a lousy job or are unreliable.

Hope that helps.

Best

Dr StevieBee
Head of Reason and Critical Thought
Pistonheads Incorporated Conglomerate Ltd PLC.

If you've got to put anything (and if you're running a little gardening business or sitting at home selling crap on Temu then you probably don't), Director is entirely sufficient.

Managing Director is the title given to the boss director of all the directors. If there are no other directors, you can't really be the managing director can you?

Anyone who uses a made up job title to try to show off is worth avoiding.

[Ari]

Which reminds me, people who use Director in their job title who are not company directors.

Anyone with (for example) the often self appointed job title 'Director of Marketing' who isn't a director, well worth avoiding.

[AyBee]

Have I sent you an email today? If it was to do with time saving, I'd just include the "Best regards, [name]" in my signature so I suspect this says more about you than me

Best,
AyBee
Associate Director

[monkfish1]

Scabutz said:

Anyone who uses the phrases "inbox me", "reach out", "touch base". I had a boss tell me once to "reach out and touch base" with a supplier. I said isnt that a Depeche Mode lyric? He didnt get it. tt.

This^^^^^^^

[Quattromaster]

Slow.Patrol said:

People who want to avoid the VAT. From either side.

We refurb wheels, including removing bends and cracks, mostly caused by potholes.

I have customers stand at the office door ranting and raving about the state of the roads, then when I give them a price £x pounds plus vat, approx 80% of them try and get out of paying the vat.

So many people think the vat is going into my holiday fund account, rather than me being an unpaid tax collector for HMRC.

[_Rodders_]

I can think of one obvious word but it would trip the swear filter and get me banned.

But more broadly. Anyone who arrives in this generation of Transit.



Run a mile if it's got one of these fitted.