Free Lunch!

I was speaking with a colleague this week about our corporate initiatives for technology. He began to tell me about his company looking to replace all of their networking and phone equipment with less reliable and less reputable equipment…all for a few thousand dollars a year savings/rebates. I even viewed the presentation that was provided to my friend for review. I was not impressed; it brought to mind visions of Multi-Level Marketing. As I pondered my response to my friends concerns over this initiative, I began to think about free things.

Free things are usually good. Like when someone else pays for lunch (ok, so sometimes lunch is free); Or when you win the IPOD door prize; or the local radio contest. But sometimes we get lost in the concept of reducing costs. We can cut corners so much that yes, we've reduced our expenditures on critical corporate communications services and hardware by 89%, but we had to spend 300% to fix the problems we were experiencing. You see the free car you just won is good… untill you discomver you have to pay to have an engine and a transmission installed before you can drive it. The bottom line is this; less expensive and quality are mutually exclusive 99.999% of the time. Lunch really isn't free... someone has to pay for it. So, why not get the sirloin instead of the chopped steak. It may cost a little more but the added expense is insignificant when when you look at the quality of the item you just purchased. In a nutshell, don’t fret over money. There's plenty for everybody (just ask the banks). Step back and view the big picture. Whether it is technology or dinner, I'm confident in your ability to discern the value of a product and make the right decisions without regret. I hope I don't sound like I'm rambling but here's the best part………………..

Go give somebody a free lunch today!!!!!! You will be repaid many times over what that one meal is worth.

So who's buying me lunch today?

Brad