I am the Lenny Harris of sheet metal fabricators. Lenny Harris was one of the best, if not thee best, pinch hitters in baseball during his career. He had the most pinch hit at-bats (804) and the most hits (212) in pinch hitting situations.

Since the beginning of the year and over the course of the last few years I have filled in as a fabricator for a larger, past customer. They decided years ago that housing their own fabrication shop was best for them and no longer needed my services. However, I kept up good relations and when their main fabricator has been ill or out of work, I have been on the list to come off the bench and pinch hit.

The money we generate from this company is and was much larger than most customers I fabricate for, creating a nice stimulus. For this reason, burning the bridge and creating a rival competitor was something I was not willing to do. With any micro business, if you provide a service and do your best job possible, someone will always need what you are selling. Without the trickle down business these companies provide, micro businesses like ours would have trouble surviving.

I could have been very caddy and hurt that a solid customer of ours was moving on, leaving us to find other revenue sources. However, business is business and I don't control what others do with theirs. I knew that we might be needed again in the future and I didn't see the point of making them out to be a villain, trying to hurt the little guy. Sometimes it pays to be patient and realize that things come and go in any business. Only diamonds are forever.

Sadly, yesterday was the last day of my pinch hitting duties, but I will be swinging a bat in the tunnel getting ready for my next assignment. Always be prepared, you never know when your number may be called.

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