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And I was elected to handle it, of course.
One of our clients called in a "consultant" because they felt that we had been overcharging them. (Thank God I keep excellent records.) The poor guy didn't know what was going on, but was intent on telling me crap like "You have a chance to REDEEM yourselves."
I was livid. But I calmed down, got my records together, put them in an easily accessible and readable form for him, and gave them to him. Then, I spent more time, walking him through everything. And, of course, he saw for himself that everything was on the up and up. (Ahhh! The sweet smell of PERFECT records!)
It's a good feeling, I'll tell you. Especially since my partner was on pins and needles, thinking that I had screwed up in some way. And the "consultant" was one of those types of men that you often find in business that think that a woman is in some way below them.
As a woman who has been the victim of this type of mentality so many times, and who has actually bought into it, always feeling somehow less in terms of ability, it was a lesson for me, and I'm glad it happened. A year or two ago, I would have been kowtowing to this jerk. Now, I realize that a lot of these guys are just bluff and bluster and you just have to be as confrontational as they are.
And, the thing is that I've changed everything in terms of our bookkeeping procedures so radically, since I've become a partner in this business. Not only did those changes work, they made everything so much easier, when it came time to provide documentation.
I love winning. And I feel that I've grown as a businesswoman, too, conquering a state of mind that has held me back, in the past. What a great experience.
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