A young entrepreneur recently shared with me how excited he was to be taking the plunge into business ownership.
“We started with two jobs and already have five-star reviews,” he proudly exclaimed.
Then he added, “But I knew I needed more reviews to be relevant, so I offered gift cards to friends and acquaintances if they posted five-star reviews for my business. I’ve already gotten another 50 reviews in just a few days.”
I paused for a moment and asked a simple question.
“Were they your customers?”
“No,” he replied. “But they know me, and they know that if they were customers, we would do a good job. So it’s sort of true.”
Not wanting to diminish his enthusiasm or entrepreneurial spirit, I congratulated him on pursuing his passion. However, I also felt compelled to explain why the approach he had chosen was problematic.
Continuing, I told him:
- You are not being honest
- It’s not an effective way to build your reputation
- It’s false advertising
- And chances are, Google is going to catch on and shut you down.
“But everyone does it,” he responded.
That may be true to a certain extent. Yet one of the most dangerous justifications for questionable behavior has always been the belief that widespread acceptance somehow transforms something wrong into something right.
Our conversation left me reflecting on what appears to be a broader erosion of ethics and character.
The young entrepreneur pointed to examples from both business and political leaders. Whether those examples are real or perceived, the effect is the same. As questionable conduct becomes increasingly normalized, more young people begin to view it as acceptable behavior and are tempted to follow the same path.
Recent polling suggests that many voters have become less concerned with character and more focused on whether they agree with a particular set of policies. A similar trend can often be observed in consumer behavior.
People knowingly overlook questionable business practices because a company is more:
- Convenient
- Cheap
- And offers better rewards
The challenge, however, is that trust is the foundation upon which every healthy society, business relationship, and community is built. Once trust begins to erode, the long-term consequences are often far greater than any short-term gain.
Perhaps it is time for us to place a renewed emphasis on civics, ethics, and character development. More importantly, perhaps it is time for leaders, parents, educators, and business owners to demonstrate those values through their actions rather than simply discussing them in theory.
The biblical story of the man who built his house upon the sand remains relevant today. Foundations matter. Whether in business, leadership, or life, success built on weak foundations rarely endures.