Entrepreneurial Mind: "Don't Bite the Hand that Feeds You"
The concept of, "don't bite the hand that feeds you" is one that I think everyone can understand. It is a principle that both merchant and customer should follow. That's right! The concept of the "customer is always right" is not a good principle to stick to. And to the merchant! Don't think you're out of the responsibility yourself.
Okay, well... maybe this going a little too far. (Though most business owners understand this)
The truth is: businesses need customers and customers are looking for services. And customers would do best not to upset the merchant, simply because they are only ONE potential customer. And if there is one thing merchants understand, it is their right NOT TO SERVE YOU. And if the customer is looking for a dining experience, they need to be extra careful! (ENOUGH SAID!) Another truth is: the merchant has to work on getting a relationship with ANY potential customer. This means: building trust, sticking to good moral sense, and being honest. Let's face it: when a business owner uses unethical methods to handle their business, it tends to affect his/her reputation. And if you do it to more than one potential customer, it puts credibility to any complaints being made. So, how do we go about making this work out without destroying the blood-flow of the economy? Well, a start is by supporting small businesses. Realizing that both merchants and customers are just trying to live their lives and provide for themselves and their families.
Respect goes a long way for both parties! Also, the main reason why I am writing this is because of something that happened to me just recently. I worked as a janitor part-time for almost ten years for a Credit Union. As a janitor, I can say: anyone that cleans for a living usually deals with a ton of disrespect. I lost my job TWICE! By the way, huge slap in the face! More on that later... The first time I lost my job, it was due to my employer's contract expiring. My employer laid me off, because he wouldn't be able to afford to pay me if this client left. (not a big deal) I was out of a job for about three months. And I was getting desperate. I looked for a job everyday and checked on any applications I filled for. No one seemed to have me.
Being desperate, I prayed (if this offends anyone, don't care... my story!) Now, this is the part where it gets a bit weird. I prayed before going to sleep, wake up the next morning, did my routine, ran into a friend of mine and talked for a little bit. My friend proceeds to ask me if his daughter-in-law called me. My reaction: I don't know your daughter-in-law, why would she contact me? He told me that she runs a cleaning service and he recommended me. So, I told him to let her know to contact me because... well, you know. I get home and log into Facebook and find 2 messages from this woman. Little did I know that her cleaning company was the one that replaced my job... I was back at the same Credit Union. Please, note: I really wasn't prepared to go back as I really didn't apply for it. But since it was a job, I took it! It worked out better than my previous job. I received a dollar raise after a couple of weeks, (I've worked in that building for almost a decade, I knew what needed to be done, so it translated into "good worker.") We didn't seem to get many complaints. However, that would be short-lived. One of my co-workers stole from that client. It was Pop-Tarts and granola bars from someone's office. Caught on security cam. (No, I am not naming names... just in case, "someone" wants to change their reputation, this gives them a chance to do it... Plus, that is pretty embarrassing. And aside from that, they got fired.) The only thing was: the entire cleaning crew, myself included, lost their job as well. My employer was told it was because we could not be trusted because we had an employee that stole. Which was not only taken care of on the spot, by getting rid of the guilty party, but we spent another month there after this incident. And what did they expect us to do: Ask them what their moral standards of stealing are? Like you expect an honest answer from a thief.
However, we are doing what we can to just see humor in the situation
Now, I did not lose my cleaning job with my current employer... We just lost that one contract (which was breached, by the way). However, that contract was my livelihood and provided me with a job I would do every weekday in the evenings. Needless to say, I am no longer a member of that Credit Union. And they probably lost my co-workers as well. After all, if the guy that breached the contract is a jerk, how can I not trust that they are all jerks? And WHY WOULD I TRUST THEM WITH MY MONEY!? Anyways, I was not really wanting to rant about this. But it seems that is what it is turning into. As I am not working near as much, I'll probably be posting more than usual. And if you'd like to support my blog and make a contribution to our giveaways, check out the offer below:
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