Before I go into my story, I guess to quickly paint a picture we can use an example of Apple using Samsung to manufacture many of their parts and screens. They are direct competitors in the smartphone industry, but at the same time they have a relationship which is mutually beneficial and necessary.So my business, I have been trying to grow it and break into different markets/segments for years. I have finally gained some traction and want to keep the momentum going unlike my previous attempts where we fizzled out after any entry we made either due to lack of supple to sell, lack of volume to make it feasible or bad luck and items showing up in bad quality ruining our short relationships.However... one of our suppliers who is essential to our business is starting to get "mad" that we are "stealing" their customers. I believe in a free market and it's not like I intentionally set out to target their customers or something, there are are only so many out there (B2B). They are still free to choose who they want to buy from and there are plenty of other suppliers out there. In our industry it's not uncommon to have up to 10+ suppliers for a single given item as prices and availability fluctuate. Even our supplier who is mad has multiple suppliers for each product they sell. Which while necessary to maintain the supply chain, are their suppliers "stealing" each other's business? Do you think the company sees it that way? I doubt it. If so, would it not be hypocritical to support "stealing" from their suppliers? Exactly. It's a silly complaint. It's fair competition, "stealing" has such a slimy tone to it.They are a Fortune 500 company while I generate a measly 1 million in annual sales. The product line I "stole" from them would not even be a drop in the bucket for their revenue. I think their argument is weak and this situation shouldn't be taken personally the way they are, but I can also see from the emotional way of thought why they feel that way.Should I back off for now? I definitely have not done enough damage for them to cut me off from our business relationship, but it can sour my image in the company. But at the end of the day for me to really grow my business I will eventually have to step into that space from customer to competitor. I guess it's a matter of timing when I can be more self-reliant. see hubwealthy.com/wealthy
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