i just had the most authentic business conversation of my life.
i called a gentleman i recently started discussing doing business with and told him i wouldn't sign his legal documents.
i know some people are all about contracts, but i'm not. i'm about people. and contracts are only as good as the people who sign them anyway, so fuck it.
this guy sent me a non compete, non disclose contract, and as i read it i felt my entire body clenching up. not because of the words, but because of the context. i don't come from doing business with people who screw people, and i hope to do business with a similar kind of people, honest, genuine, kind, caring, and those who honor their word.
i told him that i don't want to do business the contract way, that i'm the kind of person that would rather have him slander my name and tell everyone he knows than to take me to court. i know the kind of person i am, and id rather he just keep his secrets to himself till he feels confident and comfortable telling me those secrets.
he agreed, and said that he was just basically following protocol because they're a new business and they're trying to protect themselves. i said "i understand, and respect that. i just don't want to do business that way.'
i told him about a recent situation where i was involved with a major sale that would entail millions of dollars trading hands and that everything took twice as long because of all the distrust, and everyone having to sign documents upon documents upon documents.
in that scenario i felt completely blocked from getting my job done, because i've now signed something that says don't talk about this, but to do my job and sell the freaking painting...i have to actually talk about the freaking painting!
thankfully this gentleman agreed with me and said it was fine, that we could do business based on trust and not contracts.
i want friends in business, not enemies that aren't enemies yet but that i'm treating like they're going to be at some point.
there's nothing wrong with contacts, i'm not entirely opposed to signing them, but i'm not signing them before i know who i'm signing them with.
come, lets go to lunch, lets lay all our cards on the table, lets talk about trust and the future, and then....lets sign something.
lets sign when the paper doesn't matter.