A Tale of Two Companies

“It’s not personal, Sonny. It’s strictly business.”
- Michael Corleone, from The Godfather


“I have found no greater satisfaction than achieving success through honest dealing and strict adherence to the view that, for you to gain, those you deal with should gain as well.”
- Alan Greenspan

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Back when this blog started, there was a very simple premise at its core: I loved running, I loved writing, and I enjoyed getting objective feedback about both of those activities. Gradually over the years, things became more complicated; I began recording snapshots of family life, documenting my outdoor adventures, embracing the barefoot running movement, and testing all manner of shoes and outdoor gear.

I also started to make a make a little bit of money for my efforts.

The corporate dance has always been the most awkward aspect of maintaining this website, even as it’s one of the most tangibly rewarding. While my motivation for keeping the site going isn’t necessarily tied to monetization – either through real money or the ever-popular “swag” - I’m the first to admit that it’s a very nice perk. It’s also given me an appreciation for the way various companies do business, and the value they place on relationships with partners - and recently, I’ve had firsthand experience from both extremes of the business relationship spectrum.

At the end of June, the Corleone approach was demonstrated swiftly and mercilessly by Amazon.com, who dropped more than 10,000 California affiliates in response to a new state law that aimed to collect sales tax from the Internet colossus. (When I say swiftly, I mean it: all of the affiliates received e-mails informing us of the termination merely minutes after our Governor signed the law.) It’s a complicated issue that’s likely to play out in court for some time to come, but in the meantime many prognosticators predict that the California law will ultimately backfire, and that Amazon’s actions will cause significant hardship to countless vendors who depend on affiliate revenue to keep their doors open (or their computers charged, as the case may be).

The slogan kind of takes on a new meaning now ...

(UPDATED:  it was correctly pointed out in the comments section that the larger villain here is the State of California, who concocted the tax law as a quick money grab without thinking through all of the consequences for either businesses or individuals.  Obviously I didn't emphasize that point enough on the first go-round.)

Fortunately, I don’t depend on Amazon to pay the bills – shocking as it may seem, I do actually have a day job – but the operating budget of Running and Rambling will take a noticeable hit, while Amazon will continue to reap the benefits of our former partnership for years to come. I’m afraid to guess the number of product links I’ve embedded to Amazon.com over the years, and I don’t have either the time or motivation to go back and change them to another vendor. Truthfully, Amazon is still a vendor that I use myself and that I’d recommend to others – so I guess I just feel like a girl who thought the relationship meant one thing, only to find out after a surprise breakup that it actually meant something else to the boy. I’m thankful for the time I spent as an Amazon partner, and quite sad that it has to come to an end.

This post isn’t entirely pessimistic, however, because I’m also very lucky to be partnered with some outstanding companies who value relationships as one of their greatest commodities. On that note, there’s no better example of the Greenspan approach to business than the CLIF company, headquartered in Berkeley, CA.

I’ve written at length about how CLIF cherishes their employees and treats both their local and global communities with consideration and respect. They also pride themselves on grassroots outreach, winning customers over one person at a time, and relying on word-of-mouth testimonials to expand their market.

CLIF love!

That might explain why I wasn’t entirely shocked to have a giant care package arrive on my doorstep last week, courtesy of the company I’ve partnered with a handful of times over the past two years. Their reps got word that I had a 100-mile race coming up this month, and decided to send a healthy stash of CLIF love to help fuel my adventure on the trails of Lake Tahoe. The delivery came with no strings attached, no promotion to write about, or any expectation of mentioning it on my blog – but obviously, I decided to do it anyway.

Perhaps there will come a time - believe me, the thought has crossed my mind quite a bit over the last several months - when I intentionally separate the business element of this website away from the good-old-fashioned essays and dime store running philosophy that started it all. Until then, I’ll be grateful for the opportunity to associate and collaborate with companies who have widespread positive impact, and who help their partners in ways that result in mutual gain. CLIF is one of those companies for sure, and I hope to do them proud this weekend on the Tahoe Rim Trail.



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