And this is why you talk about things amongst staff before going straight to the public. I hardly like to get on social media that much because it's so easy for people to make judgements and decisions before they fully know a situation. Some even making assumptions having just walked into the conversation. Seeing that we now we have a situation being discussed over Facebook I need to address some issues.
As some of you already know I decided to pull Will's spoiler show from Double Toasted. Some seem to take this a decision based on ego as I'm not in control. Others think it was a snap decision, denying Will an opportunity to get better. Others, as I mentioned already, are simply making things up because, well, they need a story.
First, understand that Doubletoasted.com has grown into a full business at this point. Still under two years old we continue to have our growing pains here and there. However, we are growing faster than we ever thought we would (thank you!). As we grow I realize more and more how important it is to protect your brand. Maintaining quality is key, but it is also very hard as that may sometimes involve very difficult decisions. As much as you may want to support your staff and friends, sometimes the business has to dictate what finally happens.
This brings me to my second point. Videos cost money to stream and first impressions mean everything. As much I want to support the creative endeavors of others I simply cannot afford to let shows continue until they get better. As I pay for more resources and staff, money has to be spent more wisely. And there are many things about the spoiler show that's going to take time for it to work. This needs to be done outside a streaming or posting for the public.
As for first impressions, I always press upon the crew to bring their best because you never know when someone will be watching us for the first time. If a show is subpar that first impressions leaves a lasting impression. I'm learning more and more that we can only put our best products forward. I'm already thinking of better steps to producing new content.
Talking about our viewers leads me to my third point. Many are under the impression that the fans or the public is entitled to make decisions on a business. This simply isn't true. While I want to share everything with our community and make them feel included as much as possible, that's not always going to happen. Reality is that a business is run internally. One of the hardest things about running a business is making an unpopular decision most people won't understand. Many of you want a narrative where you have a villain, choosing to think I didn't like the show because I wasn't in charge. Or that I'm quick to punish someone because no one other than myself is allowed to make a mistake. It saddens me to see people simply make this up because it's completely untrue. I watched what we did on that show, and I had to make a decision. And it's never easy to call someone up and tell them what they did you can't use.
I initially thought the show could go up edited, but being that it's timely subject matters I didn't wan to wait that long. And Will did express to me that he wasn't satisfied with the show going up in it's original form. I didn't think that was the best decision either, as I don't want something posted that doesn't reflect either of us well.
I can go and on, but it all comes down to I made a decision based on quality and the state of business. Although those decisions feel terrible to make and by no means are meant to be personal many will take it that way. I doubt this will stop any gossip and speculations, but running a business is not always a popularity contest. In fact it's mostly like parenting. You do the best you can, even if sometimes the people you feel closest to will hate you for it. I hope this helps shed a little understanding on the issue.
