| Sometimes, when I explain to people what I do for a living,
I get some strange looks. Telling people that I advise and support
small businesses, triggers an emotional response in some people
akin to if I'd said that I eat small babies with a side order
of Brussel sprouts. "So, you're like Margaret Thatcher
then" was one comment I got recently in the pub.
It's the word "business". Somehow this word has
got itself a very negative set of brand values - people believe
that business is bad.
And while I feel all people have a right to an opinion, it does bother me when I talk to
business people who feel that running a real business is automatically
a bad thing. When I uncover secret feelings in clients that
making real money would be unethical, I worry a lot.
Of course there are lots of business practices that are definitely
unethical. Paying people poor wages, sacking people without
thought, disregarding health and safety, providing a poor
service, not paying your bills on time…all of these are
definitely unethical practices in my book. But running a business,
in itself, is not a bad thing to do, in fact, it in can be a very personally and financially rewarding experience. This is creativity at it's best.
With increasing media coverage of the not-so-ethical activities
of some of the larger companies, people associate business
with wrongdoing. But, as most people go into small business so that
they can be in control of how they do things, then it's up to you to
make sure that your business is formed on a solid ethical
foundation. What your business can offer is that more personal and caring approach that the big boys of business are not always able to offer.
How you can keep your business ethical and profitable
1. Thinking about money. Many of us find it difficult
to swallow the mega-profits of companies like HSBC (£1000
per minute seems a little on the high side) especially when
you get your bank statement. So you need to be clear what
level of income you want to earn. Work out what you think
is a reasonable level of income and work towards that.
2. Trust - Do you do what you say you'll do? Make
sure that people are right to trust you. If you let people
down, you'll become known for this and people will not want
to do business with you. Don't ever be tempted to get one
over on people for the sake of making that sale, or getting
a higher level of profit.
3. Marketing Methods. There are lots of very effective
marketing methods which encourage people to buy from you.
There is no need to trick people into buying from you - you
can tell the truth and this will be much more effective at
marketing your business than making things up. In particular,
stay away from spam email campaigns, long lock in periods,
and claims about your business or product that simply aren't
true. Stick to what you can do and trust that will be enough.
4. How you treat other people. Make sure that you treat
people in the way that you would expect to be treated. This means
making sure that you pay your invoices on time, not gossiping
about others, and delivering what you say you will, when you
say you'll do it.
5. Impact on the environment. Have a look at what impact
you and your business have on the world. Are you sure that
you're doing everything you can to protect the environment?
Major things that you can do to minimise your impact immediately
include changing to a greener electricity tariff, getting
the bus rather than driving, and switching your computer off
when you're finished for the day. Why not change your electricity
supplier right now at greenelectricity.org. Remember to reuse and recycle everything you can.
How The Joy of Business Can Help
If you'd like to talk over how your business can get to be
more ethical and more profitable, and you're based in Brighton
or Sussex, get in touch for a free,
no obligation chat with Julia Chanteray.
back to top
back to resources page |