Good deal

I went to college and walked away with three unforgettable lessons.

One, there are a thousand ways to make an ice cream sundae, simply pick the way you like it and make it.
Two, always follow the money train.

And three, a good deal is when both parties win.
The longer I’ve been in business, the more I’ve seen how true it is. When you shift your mindset from trying to win alone to trying to create wins for everyone involved, the game changes.

There is a version of business that is all about control and leverage. Win at all costs. Out-negotiate. Get the better end of the deal. There can only be one winner. A zero-sum game. And sure, you might win that deal, you might win that argument, you might have saved a couple bucks, but you lose the person. You lose the long-term trust. You lose integrity. You lose the chance to build something bigger than the transaction. Not to say those things can’t be earned back, but that could be a long road of mending ahead of you. Make your life easier and find a way for everyone to win. The client wins, the team wins, our subs win and the company wins. That’s how we measure a good deal.

The first step is understanding what the other person values. Most of the time, people are not great at saying what they want directly. It takes some listening. It takes some reading between the lines. People say budget, but they mean peace of mind. They say timeline, but they really want to avoid feeling ignored. They say quality, but what they’re craving is confidence. When you can uncover the real need, you have the power to solve the right problem.
The second part is being real. Tell the truth even if it might make things awkward. It saves everyone a lot of time. If something’s off, say it. If it’s not working, say it. If there’s a better way to do something, recommend it. If there’s a delay, let them know immediately. Transparency is not just about honesty; it is about honoring the relationship. It tells the other person that you care more about the outcome than the optics. Mission over motives.

The last piece is probably the hardest. It is being willing to leave something on the table. Not every deal has to be squeezed for every dollar. Not every disagreement has to be won. There is power in being generous. There is strength in humility. There is grace in keeping your head high and your heart strong with integrity. There is God and his will for your life and a lesson for you to extract. With that, there is no failure. When you value the relationship and your integrity over the scoreboard, you create opportunities most people will never see.

This approach has changed how we hire, how we sell, how we handle problems and how we show up in the community. It is not always the easiest path, and it does not always look like winning in the short term. But over time, it builds something solid. Something people trust. Something people want to be part of. That is how you win in business, and in life. Not by outsmarting people. Not by outworking everyone at the expense of your values. You win by finding a way to make sure everyone wins.

Ryan Chowansky is the owner of Bluffton Builders, LLC, www.bluffton.builders.