There is place for everyone

There is a restaurant right opposite my house, one which I never step into because the quality leaves a lot to be desired. Just proximity doesn't make it any more appealing. Ever so often, dad and I discuss about how it will be if some better chain takes over the restaurant and runs it well. We will have a good place to go to, right opposite our house.

But here's the thing - even this restaurant that we avoid has its own clientele.

Ever so often, we look at a business or at someone and wonder how they still have takers. They treat people with disdain, have scant regard for deadlines, keep an arm's length from professionalism and generally go about being boors. While it may take awhile before people run out of chances or takers, a lot of them go on for much longer than we expect.

Not everyone's expectations are the same. Some are sticklers for punctuality while it may not matter to someone else. Some maybe happy just to have a job and someone else tries their best to infuse meaning into what they do. Some care, some just don't care. Everyone gravitates towards their standards.

I remember an ex-colleague telling me that there was enough work in the market for everyone and that you didn't need to slog in a big organisation just to please someone else. He was right, but only partly. True, there is enough work, but there are also a lot of black areas. Non-payment, very basic requirements, clients who disappear after taking the work, all of these come with the territory. But even they have takers.

There is place for everyone in the market. That really isn't the issue.

Choosing and owning your place is far more important.