Today I had the unpleasant job of telling a client that something I thought would be do-able was, in fact, all-but-impossible under the constraints. The fault was mine for not enough up-front research--by which I mean actually getting real dirt under my fingernails instead of trusting the internet. Theory vs. reality, you understand.
Mind you, this is not the first time something like this has happened during my programming career. But it is the first time it's happened since I donned my "Entrepreneur" super-suit. Delivering news like that to your client is distinctly Not Fun when you have management and an I/T department at your back; it sucks even more when it's your credibility (and your credibility alone) wearing the bulls-eye.
But the flip-side of owning your own business is owning the mistakes. And, today, at least, it turned out to be a positive. The client and I hashed out a feasible workaround amenable to both sides. And, as the maraschino cherry on top, I was told that I'm "good to work with."
That, friends and brethren, is the sound of #WIN.
Assuming, of course, that I don't do it again anytime soon.
