My friend called me on a Saturday to ask for advice. She was at the gym and the person sitting next to her felt she was too close and threw a weight at her. He had threatened her in the past. She had decided to go to the police after talking to the gym with no results except for, ‘You need to work this out amongst yourself.’ Wrong answer.

She had a bruise, a minor injury and although there was a video recording, the police did not want to get involved.

My thought went to how poorly the gym handled the situation. It did rise to negligence- the gym owes a duty to its members to provide a safe work out environment, and that duty was breached. However, the gym was as, Jessica Nagle of Nagle Law called it, ‘ethically challenged.’

Conflict is a growth industry. Because of that business need to have systems in place on how to deal conflict whether that is among employees, vendors or customers.

My suggestion is to have a written policy about how you will deal with conflict. Amongst employees, for example, this may be an anonymous hotline to report issues or for customers there may be a formal complaint process.

These small ideas would create an ethical business and also one less likely to have negligence claims.

Dishonesty Is Not Honesty In Disguise
There was an exposé recently in the Boston Globe about the fishing industry. I was one of the readers struck by the epidemic of mislabeled fish, but it was a local chef’s comment that caught my eye. He commented that he thought it was perfectly fine in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to say that sablefish was butterfish. He liked to use the word, butterfish, because it rolled off the tongue better.
There is not a state within the United States that allows misrepresentation. Misrepresentation is dishonesty about material facts. You need to give consumers the right information about your product. Therefore the accurate name of your product or service is important.
In the same week I came across another article, not in the Boston Globe, but an online source where the author was advocating plagiarizing web content. Yes, it was eye-catching, and I can imagine it made an effective tweet, but again, like misrepresentation, this is not allowed. Just look at the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. If you feel someone has stolen content from your website, then you can send a cease a desist letter for them to take it down.
For example, let’s say one of your clients has given you permission to use their comment. “XYZ business was great. Claire helped explain exactly what I needed to bring attention to my business. AB, my new product wouldn’t have been a success without her.” Now we add in a new competitor who doesn’t have any feedback, and they take your comment as their own, just changing the name. Is that fair? You would follow the Digital Millennium Copyright Act so that you could stop your competitor from using your quote.
Remember be clear and honest about your business even when it comes to marketing. Advertising is important for your business, and you need to be creative, but not dishonest. Not all fishes are the same. You cannot plagiarize from a website, no matter how much you wish that was your content. It’s not.

If you need advice on this type of situation, contact True North Business Consulting.

Welcome to TrueNorth Business Consulting presentation of a Business Makeover. Each month will feature an idea that can help your business. True North focuses on small businesses, but especially helping health and wellness practitioners to maintain and grow their business using the areas of law, marketing, insurance and project management.

I gave a seminar, and when I finished I had a few people come up to me to ask questions. I was surprised that the questions were ones that would require about 5 minutes of internet research to get an answer. It struck me that people don’t do research, and part of managing any project or making a business decision is looking at historical information.

Historical information let’s you see what was done right and what was done wrong. Other people have made similar or the same decisions. You may be able to find some information on the internet, or you may have to ask others.

An example I like to use to illustrate the usefulness of research is designing a website. Once you decide you need, or want to revamp a website, what do you do? Well, first you want to look at other websites-see what they have done successfully and not so successfully. What do you like about that website? Next, you want to think about the elements—do you want a blog? Do you need a shopping cart?

Before you hire someone, you want to look at what is available that you can do yourself. There are online blogging programs, like WordPress or LiveJournal that you may want to use, which would be less expensive.

If you are using a web designer, then get referrals to many. Ask to see their work, and talk to their clients, if possible. You want to make sure your project comes in on time and within budget. Check out the web designer’s previous experience.

Lastly, you want to make a list of all the things you want on your website, along with a date of when you want them completed by. As time goes on with your project, then you can check off things on your list, and also write comments on what is going well and what you need to change.

In the future, when you need another website, you will have your research, plus your historical information to go back to. You will notice a faster project, and have used your research skills to get you there.

Welcome to TrueNorth Business Consulting presentation of a Business Makeover. Each month will feature an idea that can help your business. True North focuses on helping health and wellness practitioners to maintain and grow their business using the areas of law, marketing, insurance and project management.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the average U.S. worker changes careers 3-5 times during their lifetime. In today’s economy I do not see it feasible. Changing careers requires, more often than not, a large investment and sometimes an uncomfortable amount of risk.

I believe that already existing skills can be changed and repurposed with a limited investment.

I am looking forward to taking a mediation course in March, which will certify me as a Massachusetts mediator. This alone can not be the focus of my business. Yet, it works well within my business service parameters and it was a course at a limited cost. I can offer another service to my clients.

Offering another service
Think about the service you are currently providing. Is there something you can add that will work in conjunction to your business plan? Is there something from your past you can tap into? For example, you may now be a weight loss coach, but previously you were a fitness instructor. How about offering small, at home, group classes? These are many people that feel uncomfortable in a gym atmosphere.

Don’t let your old skills go, revive them and reuse them. Be green and recycle.

Products
Every service provider uses some sort of product consistently in their business enterprise. Or there are products that work well with your business. I receive mail catalogs that contain many different products, products that people are not aware of, which could be stocked in your office. Are you an acupuncturist who helps neck and back injuries? Then why not sell not just herbs, but other products that can help your patients? It requires some effort to find a product you can support, which fit into your business, but there can be great monetary rewards, especially if you deal directly with the manufacturer.
Think of the convenience you are bringing to your clients. With you they can get many services. You have so much expertise, and it can work well together. Take a look at the True North Business Consulting Blog to see the Remarkable Women post for some great examples of how you evolve your business beyond your dreams. You can also look at what Jenifer Gebhard is doing to help her business take off.