The service provider no one wants to talk about or confront...

A few months ago, I attended a wedding that taught me an important lesson about entrepreneurship and professionalism. This was the décor service provider who was wearing a tracksuit and a DOPs cap. Nothing wrong with the outfit, but as the evening progressed, she became increasingly involved in the celebration itself. By the end of the night, she was seated at the bridesmaids' table, dancing and celebrating as though she were one of the invited guests.

Now, before anyone accuses me of being too serious, this is not about whether she was enjoying herself. It is not about whether she was friendly. It is not even about whether the décor was beautiful. The décor was actually quite great. The lesson is much bigger than that.....

Actually.... when did some service providers stop understanding the difference between being contracted to deliver a service and being invited to attend an event?

As entrepreneurs, we often focus so heavily on the product or service that we forget that clients are buying far more than the final outcome. They are buying an experience. They are buying confidence. They are buying trust. The bride and groom paid for beautiful décor. What they probably did not expect was for the service provider to become part of the event itself and be in formal photos in a tracksuit and dops cap while everyone else is in an evening gown.

Black people... be honest? Are we too lenient with our service providers because of our relationships?

I'm going to be brutally honest here..... and say many Black entrepreneurs underestimate how much clients and their people notice. They notice your appearance. They notice your punctuality. They notice how you communicate. They notice how you solve problems. They notice whether you are organised. They notice whether you take your work seriously and how you treat yourself while performing the service.

While this example comes from a wedding, the principle applies to every service provider, in every industry. Whether you are a photographer, makeup artist, caterer, consultant, accountant, speaker, coach, attorney, event organiser, or business advisor, clients are not only evaluating the quality of your work; they are evaluating your professionalism. They are watching how you communicate, how you present yourself, how punctual you are, how you handle pressure, and whether you conduct yourself in a manner that inspires confidence. The reality is that professionalism is industry agnostic. The standards may differ, but the expectation remains the same: if you want clients to trust you with their money, their business, or their special moments, you must show up in a way that demonstrates that you take your craft, your brand, and your clients seriously.

In many ways, your professionalism speaks before your work ever has the opportunity to. One of the biggest culprits is lateness. We have normalised being late to such an extent that some people no longer see it as a problem. Yet lateness is one of the clearest signs of disrespect in business.

Of course, life happens. Traffic happens. Emergencies happen. We are all human. However, there is a significant difference between occasionally being delayed and being known as the person who is always late. Imagine a makeup artist arriving an hour late on a wedding day. Yoh.....

Make up artists assume that only the makeup schedule is affected. In reality, the consequences are much broader. The bride becomes anxious. The bridesmaids become rushed. The photographer loses valuable time. Transport arrangements are affected. The ceremony starts later than planned. The entire flow of the day is disrupted because one service provider failed to manage their time.

Dear Service provider...... When clients hire you, they are not simply paying for your skill. They are paying for reliability. They are paying for peace of mind. They are paying for the comfort of knowing that they do not need to worry about whether you will deliver.

One of the greatest compliments a service provider can receive is hearing a client say, "I knew everything would be fine because you had it under control." That level of trust is not built through talent alone. It is built through professionalism.

The same principle applies to appearance. Before anyone misunderstands me, appearance has nothing to do with designer labels or expensive clothing. Looking professional does not mean looking wealthy. It means looking appropriate for the environment in which you are working. It means respecting the occasion. It means respecting the client. It means respecting your own brand.

Another area where many entrepreneurs unintentionally undermine themselves is in their payment processes. I am often surprised by how many service providers expect clients to treat them like established businesses while operating with no systems at all.

• No quotation.

• No invoice.

• No contract.

• No payment terms.

• No clear process.

• No convenient payment options.

• No follow-up procedures.

• Nothing.

Then they become frustrated when clients delay payments, negotiate aggressively, or fail to take them seriously. The truth is that your payment process is part of your customer experience. A professional invoice communicates credibility. Clear payment terms communicate structure. A proper contract communicates seriousness. Convenient payment methods communicate that you understand business. Everything communicates. Everything.

• The way you answer your phone communicates.

• The way you respond to emails communicates.

• The way you present yourself communicates.

• The way you invoice communicates.

• The way you arrive communicates.

Clients are constantly forming opinions about your business, often long before they have experienced the actual service. Perhaps the most important lesson for service providers is this: every event is also a marketing opportunity!! Your next customer may be sitting in that room!!!

Many entrepreneurs think marketing starts and finishes when they post on social media. It does not. Marketing starts the moment you walk into a room. Every interaction becomes a reflection of your brand. Every event becomes an opportunity to build your reputation. Every client becomes a potential referral source. The most successful service providers understand that they are always marketing, even when they are working. And at the heart of it all is a simple principle: respect your craft.

• Respect it enough to arrive on time.

• Respect it enough to dress appropriately (Black always works).

• Respect it enough to implement proper systems.

• Respect it enough to communicate professionally.

• Respect it enough to behave in a manner that inspires confidence.

Because the market does not only pay for talent. The market pays for trust. And professionalism is how trust is built. Long after the music stops, long after the guests have gone home, and long after the event has ended, people may forget exactly what you said or what you did.

Dear Service Provider, please don't be the decor lady in the photographs on the dance floor wearing a tracksuit while everyone else is dressed in formal wear. Don't be the makeup artist who arrives late and throws the entire schedule into chaos. Don't be the consultant who arrives unprepared, the photographer who becomes the centre of attention because he's wearing bright colours and a cap, or the entrepreneur whose payment processes create frustration for clients. Instead, be the professional people remember for all the right reasons. Be the person who arrives prepared, delivers excellence, respects the occasion, and leaves behind confidence and trust. Because long after the event is over, your work will be judged not only by what you delivered, but by how you conducted yourself while delivering it. Respect your craft, respect your client, and respect your brand. Your reputation is being built in every room you enter.

Yours in Professionalism,

The Business Doctor Keitumetse Lekaba