Why The Source Of Your Supplies Really Matters

September 9, 2019

Whatever kind of business you might happen to be in charge of, there will always be a necessary amount of sourcing of supplies that you need to do. Even the most bare and stripped-back businesses, operating on a skeletal basis, will generally require at least a few kinds of equipment and machinery which are important to the operation overall. With the right equipment and supplies of all kinds, a business is much more likely to operate effectively – and within budget, too. But when it comes to trying to source anything, there is a lot that comes into play in trying to determine whether that source is likely to be reliable and trustworthy. But why does it matter in the first place, and why should we be concerned about this?

The Source Indicates The Quality

Arguably the most important factor in sourcing any equipment is that you are able to find that which has high quality. High quality equipment is much more likely to be useful day-to-day, and will generally just give you a lot less trouble, and fewer headache situations to deal with. For that reason, it is clearly vital that you spend time finding a reliable source which you know will offer a high-quality product. Whether that means that you go through a known and trusted operator like trimleaf or you go out on a limb with a new company that you like the look of, you will find it is essential to continually seek amazing quality in whatever you might be trying to source for your business.

Money Is Everything

But quality is not everything. Though you need to get hold of equipment and other supplies which you feel are reliably useful for your purposes in-house, you are always going to need to focus on that other major concern that all entrepreneurs keep at the forefront of their minds: money. Keeping within budget is easier to do if you are careful and, perhaps, a little clever about where you source things from. In one sense, this amounts merely to shopping around, which is a basic and essential thing you should always make sure to do. But in another way, it’s also about weighing up the offers of different suppliers in an intuitive sense, and going for that which you feel is best overall.

The Ethical Side

If you are keen to be an ethical business owner, then you will only want to have anything to do with other businesses who are also working ethically within their own fields. This would therefore also likely form an important part of your decision about where to go to source equipment. If you don’t think you can trust a particular business to operate ethically, it is probably in your interest not to have anything to do with them. It will only reflect poorly on your business if you end up trading with dodgy partners.

Sourcing anything is a tricky balancing act, but by considering these issues you should find that you can much more readily and easily find the best and most reliable suppliers for your purposes at all times.

Mark Asquith

That British podcast guy, Mark is co-founder of Captivate.fm, the world's only growth-oriented podcast host. A Harvard, TEDx, Podcast Movement and Podfest speaker (amongst many more!), he's a wildly approachable Brit and Star Wars/DC Comics geek.

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