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comments about themselves or their businesses, it’s actually a fantastic litmus test. Will you respond with a public attack against that commenter or use their words as a learning opportunity? Bill Gates famously said, “Unhappy customers are the best customers.” If the reviewer’s grievances are legitimate, hear them out and fix your mistakes. If handled properly, your reaction to a complaint could be the best marketing tool you’ll ever have. Fiction: There’s no room for failure. Fact: In the words of the great philosopher Yoda, “The greatest teacher, failure is.” True entrepreneurs are never afraid to fall on their faces; every misstep is a lesson learned. After all, it took Thomas Edison more than 1,000 attempts to perfect the light bulb. Mistakes are inevitable in all facets of life, but what matters is how we adapt to those situations and progress. Fiction: You’re the best person for the job. Fact: You may have been the one to drive your entrepreneurial concept forward, but that doesn’t mean you have all the answers. Whether driven by pride or
perfectionism, business owners often risk being too reluctant to let others take charge. If you insist on wearing all the hats, this lack of delegation can lead to burnout at best and complete economic disaster at worst. You can be the head of your company and still let others carry the weight — and tell you when you’re wrong or need to change your perspective.
HAVE A Laugh
The Great French Mustache Strike of 1907 Workers usually go on strike to improve their wages or working conditions. Leave it to the French to mount a historic strike for the right to grow a mustache. A full mustache was a mark of status in Europe a century ago. Policemen were required to grow them to project authority. Waiters rebelled when restaurant owners forced them to shave their faces clean as a sign of their lower-class status. On April 17, 1907, hundreds of servers walked off the job over the issue, as well as their low pay and long hours. Restaurant owners soon caved, implemented a fairer pay structure, and restored waiters’ right to grow a mustache. As one French newspaper of the time declared, the waiters won the right “to finally show that they are men, free men … who can wear at their ease this symbol of the all-powerful male, the mustache. Oh! The beautiful independence!”
jwyatt@harrisonlawgroup.com | HarrisonLawGroup.com | 3
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