John North – Know Your Customers, Know Your Suppliers

<p><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnnorth1085/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>John North</strong></a> is a Seven-Time #1 International Selling Author about business strategy and internet marketing and his passion for squash. John is CEO of Evolve Systems Group and has created many products and services designed to empower business owners, including<a href="http://www.evolvepreneur.app" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> Evolvepreneur.app</a>,<a href="http://www.evolvepreneur.club" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> Evolvepreneur.club</a>, and<a href="http://www.evolveglobalpublishing.com" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> Evolve Global Publishing</a>.</p><p>John’s passion is to help business owners become more strategic and smarter about their marketing efforts. He continually pushes the envelope of what’s possible in this modern era and is widely regarded among his peers as very innovative and highly creative in his approach.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p class="ql-align-center"><strong>“Own your brand, own your customers.”</strong></p><p class="ql-align-center">John North</p><p>&nbsp;</p><h2><strong>Worst investment ever</strong></h2><p>John had a software distribution company on one side of Australia, and his competitor had a similar company on the other side. The two had healthy competition, each with their customers.</p><h3><strong>The merger</strong></h3><p>John and his competitor decided that it was a good idea for the two businesses to merge and distribute their products together. So they did a 50/50 partner split. The merger seemed good and legit to John.</p><h3><strong>Jumping the gun</strong></h3><p>The two soon-to-be partners set a date to sign the merger documents in Sydney. Even before the ink could dry on the signed papers, his former competitor had announced the merger to everyone without John’s consent. This move severed relationships with some of their customers. John had to do a lot of damage control.</p><h3><strong>The competition within</strong></h3><