How do "open source" and "pay it forward" help (or hurt) your business?

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Permalink Reply by Erik Deckers on February 7, 2008 at 8:15am

This is something I do in my work, whether it's writing or marketing help. I'll help entrepreneurs and non-profits with free help and advice. I don't even think of it as paying it forward. I just like doing it, knowing I helped someone else.

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Permalink Reply by Michelle Morris on February 7, 2008 at 8:53am

I give away free services and advice all the time. The most obvious example is of course the fact that I don't make any money at all until closing. If I list a home for sale, my services are free until I sell the house. If I work with a buyer, I work for nothing until we find the right house and close the transaction.

I like to help anyone I can whether I will immeditely be able to sell their house or sell them a house because I know that it will help my business in the future, but also because it makes me feel good. When I can help someone get rid of their mortgage insurance requirement by doing a "Broker's Price Opinion" or remind someone that they haven't yet filed their tax exemptions, or get them in touch with a lender who can refinance their mortgage at a lower rate, I just feel like a rock star.

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Permalink Reply by David Schoenenberger on February 7, 2008 at 10:08am

My agency has made a habit from day 1 (almost 4 years ago) of helping the businesses of clients or people that we meet along the way. As a discussion develops people come to mind that they should meet. We connect those people. Now, has it helped our business? At first no, quite honestly. Did we care, no. Fast forward to now and my business is 90% referral only. That happened because the people we helped along the way come to us or send folks to us. One rule that has always stuck with me. FORGET WHAT YOU HAVE DONE FOR SOMEONE AND ALWAYS REMEMBER WHAT SOMEONE HAS DONE FOR YOU.

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Permalink Reply by PJ Christie on February 7, 2008 at 10:42am

There's nothing wrong about living an inspired life and passing on skills and services to deserving individuals, orgs, and businesses. I know just yesterday I spent an hour on the phone with a woman who needed a website with no budget and no idea what she was going to do to start her online business. I gave her a laundry list f ideas, broke down her target market for her, established a point that I thought would equal success and estimated the revenue off that expectation.

That's a lot of work to do for free, for someone I don't even know over the phone.

But I've got dozens of paying clients and in this for the long haul. My hope is that she will remember my advice and apply it. I know it will work for her, and life is long. Today's free one hour consultation is next years key to the front door of a marketing agency.

To a point.

I had lunch with a gentleman who complained that all he does is give away services. I believe that all web design agencies can compete in a friendly way and exist side by side. That is unless one of us starts operating giving away actual services to clients who can afford it. We're networking here, not hunting for business, right?

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Permalink Reply by Bernard Munos on February 7, 2008 at 12:05pm

I don't think open-source business models are about giving things away. They are about sharing and empowering collective creation. In fact, I see intellectual property protection as a critical element of vibrant open innovation networks. Protected IP is valuable, it can be traded, and it gives scientists and others the incentive to invest quality time to come up with more of it. Without IP rights, innovation networks would have to operate on an altruistic basis, and most of them would probably not be sustainable. This is already a problem with open-source software, i.e., how to reward contributors? Answer: give them IP rights. They can then be exploited, marketed, or donated to suit the owner's proclivities.

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Permalink Reply by Bj Davis on February 7, 2008 at 1:53pm

I am part of the network of independent coffee shops here in town. Some owners guard their secrets some share openly. I share. The only coffee shop that is my direct competitor is the one that is with in 1 mile of me. I am an advocate for sharing, if I can help someone open a quality coffee shop in the Indy area, then I have helped all of the independents. The better we are the more likely people are to seek us out over our biggest competitor, Starbucks.

I have also found that because I share information, I gain customer referrals from other independents. I have found this to be true from customers who are not in the coffee business as well. I think that sharing will almost always help you in the end, and when it doesn’t well as long as it doesn’t hurt!

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Permalink Reply by Jason Hill on February 7, 2008 at 2:13pm

The old saying "Knowledge is Power " can be looked at in two ways. If you have the knowlege and everyone else does not ,then of course you can think you are more valuable to others, but at the same time sharing what you know with others can be a form of empowerment in itself when you see how you have helped someone else. I think that sharing your thoughts and ideas with others as well as things that have helped you reach your goals and might help them along the way has a way of rewarding both parties in the end.
Of course when on the golf course now thats a different story, I'll stick to my secrets of missing a putt without any help or advice.

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Permalink Reply by Bonnie Benshoof on February 7, 2008 at 2:22pm

I am a true believer whatever you put into something it will come back to you! So, the more knowledge you have about your field, the more people you know, and the more time you spend into anything it always comes back to you, from business, to friendships to your children and family it is all about giving without limits!

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Permalink Reply by David Schoenenberger on February 7, 2008 at 2:50pm

This analogy just came to mind...... We never know when the homeless person that we just gave a dollar to bought a lottery ticket and won a million. When we are in a position to lift someone else up, do it. We never know when they are in a position to help us. They will remember.

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Permalink Reply by Lorraine Ball on February 7, 2008 at 2:58pm

On a regular basis i share what i know, with prospects, clients, and occasionally competitors. Why? Becuase it does roll back. Prospects get a glimse of the value before the hire me, or run screaming in the other direction, if my style doesn't fit what they need.

Either way, it is ok, my style isn't right for everyone.

And competitors? No worries, there are 65,000 companies in Marion and the 8 surrounding counties, I can't service them all, and would rather have people who like and respect me, serving the rest of them.

And I am ever grateful to people who have shared what they know with me.. Dave Anderson, Doug Karr, Kyle Lacy, Heid, Eric Petit, and Chris Straw. People who have helped me through new concepts, particulalrly the techy stuff. Their willingness to share has helped me learn new, and very marketable skills, prevented me from running into brick walls, and put the pieces together when I do!

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Permalink Reply by Lorraine Ball on February 7, 2008 at 2:59pm

One more thought on open source... if your are unwilling to share, someone else will.

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Permalink Reply by Bruce LaDuke on February 7, 2008 at 7:15pm

Open 'source' is really collaborative creation. It could be creation of business, of networks, of software, of knowledge, of social capacities, of anything really.

"Things created" have different social and business purposes and interject themselves at different points in these relevant processes. Not everything created is a marketable product or involves property ownership. That's why it can become confusing as to when to open up and when to close down.

There are also different types of property or models for ownership on things being created. For example, a created business can have multiple owners, or software could be created for an entire company, or certain types of knowledge could be leveraged for different uses. For example, performance knowledge could be used to help not-for-profit or for-profit enterprises.

Saying all that to say that we should be building business and community ecologies that are comprised of a mix of sharing and selling with an eye for the concomitant good.

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