If Jeff is so petty as to drop you as a customer because you gave a positive review to another company, then perhaps he isn’t someone you actually want to do business with.
Even if Angie is interested in dating you, there is a huge mental block in being the one to go first. I would not read anything into the fact she hasn’t texted you.
Don’t be pushy about it, but if Nina invites you and Angie to a happy hour, don’t feel awkward about going. It’s a drink at 4pm on a Tuesday, not a long term commitment like a bathroom faucet.
If there is any inappropriate business stuff going on, it is Nina pressuring Angie to do something she is not interested in so Angie can continue to get Nina’s business. If the extroverted and fun salesperson becomes an uncomfortable and shy bar companion, then you have your answer. Realistic result is you have a well margarita or discount IPA, some deep fried appetizer for dinner, and spend more time talking about Grohe’s new line than you really care to, but never meet up again.
Jeff wouldn’t drop me as a customer. I just don’t want to insult him.
The rest of that post is gold. I don’t have Angie’s phone number so I can’t text first. If I did, I would have sent a text saying, “Thanks. It was great to work with you” and see how the follow up goes.
Me, I would just opt out of the whole review thing altogether. But then again, I don’t like being asked for reviews, nohow, no way.
The suggestion of happy hour and linking it to a review would be a nonstarter for me. That it’s manipulation was mentioned upthread, and that was the first thing I thought of when I read the OP. I wouldn’t even assume my number was passed along. Not for sure, anyway. But if the cute salesperson is really interested, there’s no legitimate reason for review writing to be part of the deal.
Again, that’s just me. But bear in mind that I’m a cynical old guy with an ever-diminishing tolerance for bullshit and an ever-increasing willingness to call it out when I think I see it. We cynical old guys can get away with that kind of thing too, more than other people, because people expect it of us.
This would be messy even without the additional layer of a cute salesperson. Until you introduced that twist, I would have said that there would be nothing wrong with you posting a review saying you’d worked with her while she was with a previous employer and you were happy with her work while she was with the previous employer. The quid pro quo, however, would make me much more reluctant to post anything whatsoever.
OTOH, I’ll admit that the cuteness of the salesperson can compromise even my most closely held values, so I shan’t judge you for however you choose to act.
I guess that I should have known better but I am very amused that the focus of the discussion is on Angie. My main concern is that the two ventures are in direct competition and helping Angie could hurt Jeff.
I don’t think that helping Angie necessarily hurts Jeff any more than Jeff is already hurt by Angie going out on her own in direct competition to Jeff, unless you compare them in your review.
1 review isn’t going to cause a noticeable change to either business, and Jeff won’t get any sort of notification if Angie gets a review. He’d have to be reading Angie’s reviews, and connect one to you, before knowing about what you did. At that point, he’s probably got more concerning issues than whether you were kind to Angie.
I suspect Jeff or one of his employees will be keeping an eye on the new business. The Google review would be in my name.
A couple of days ago, the PM and accountant (both of whom I know well) came over for the final walk through before the demo and also before the email from Nina. We were shit talking a little bit about the situation and the accountant indicated that it was a very sore subject over at the first place. His literal brother started this whole thing.
Yeah, now that the founding business partners have split and there’s two competing businesses, and the new one has poached at least one employee besides the founder from the old one, bad blood is assured. As is the simple fact they are now direct competitors who are locked in a zero sum game for business.
As one of my business partners once told me: “Partnering is far worse than marrying. Arguments are always about money and there’s no make-up sex. And the divorces are always ugly.” It happens that his and my partnership was placid and successful until we wound it down for other reasons. But his warning proved prophetic for my next business go-around. Which oddly echoes the fate of my two marriages.
Anyhow, back to the topic …
If you have any future work done you will have to choose sides. Or use some third contractor just to avoid having to choose sides. Which will piss both sides off, but have the virtue of pissing them off sorta-equally.
My own view comes down to not confusing nice people who are vendors to you with friends. It’s all just business. Be honest, be cordial, and forget worrying about other people’s feelings. In business they should not be having feelings.
The new company was started by Alan and Nina. I’m not sure if they have any other employees yet. They may end up using some of the same subs as the first company.
I will stick with the original company for all future work. That said, all of the design for my house is finished. Any future work will be repair and maintenance and ideally not that much of it.
I tell Nina that I am not comfortable with a public review because I don’t want to affect my relationship with Jeff. (Note: No one at Jeff’s company knows about any of this). What I will do is allow prospective clients to come to my house and see the finished product.
As for Angie, I’m not really interesting in a happy hour. I don’t drink and I hate bars (unless there’s a good band playing there in which case conversation isn’t really possible). I’ll re emphasize that Angle is welcome to text me.
You said everyone parted on amicable terms. Why would Jeff be fussed about it? You’ve already given him his accolades. Now give Nina hers.
I really doubt someone as successful as Jeff is poring over Google reviews taking notes about imagined sleights. If he mentions it, just say you’re happy with the work both of them are doing.
I get the sense that you see these people as friends, but I suspect they see you more like a customer. I’m sure they genuinely like you, but it’s their job to be your friend and to make you feel like you are theirs. This is all business, man.
I don’t think it was amicable particularly amicable even though no one was an asshole. The accountant and I were snarking about the situation and they are not happy at all about it.
Also, I most certainly am aware of what a business relationship is. Obviously. We are very friendly with each other and I am very sure that I am one of their favorite customers but in the end I am a client. I’ve been a consultant myself so I understand this on both ends. I thought I made it clear that I was most concerned about my business relationship with Jeff. He and Alan are in direct competition. If Nina was in a different line of work, like doing designs for office buildings, this wouldn’t be a conundrum.
Have you talked to Jeff about this at all? “Hey, Nina asked me to write a recommendation for her, but I don’t want any bad blood between us. Would you have any problem with that?”
I thought about that but it may stir up some shit. Then again, Nina never told me not to tell anyone. I’m not as invested in helping to launch this new venture as I may have made it seem. It’s probably best to leave it alone.
That was my idea, as well. There’s nothing wrong with separate reviews praising Nina’s skills as a designer and praising Jeff’s skills as a contractor. My contractor just told me he’s retiring, and I’d kill to find a new contractor recommended by people I know and trust.
Jeff’s business that he owns and Nina’s business that she (co) owns are both design build firms that are in direct competition. You hire either firm or some other competitor to do the entire job. My review of Jeff’s business was for the whole thing.
Overall it seems like you’re more worried about upsetting Jeff than Nina. Which is a-OK. Protect the relationship that will affect you the most. If you’re staying with Jeff’s company, prioritize him.
Sometimes it helps to post these things for advice because even if you disagree with the advice you get, it can help you figure out how you really feel. Hopefully that has been the case here.
