Do The Opposite of What Pisses You Off

Spend a few minutes and think about all of the bad business practices that really piss you off. Maybe it’s bad service at a restaurant from an angry waiter or being put on hold for 3 hours when trying to get your internet back up. There are so many things that leave an awful taste in our mouths, but by encountering these things, we can learn what “not” to do with our own businesses.

Here’s a list of things that I absolutely hate:

• Setting up an appointment

  with someone plenty of time in advance and when it finally comes time to meet, that person either keeps you waiting for an additional 30 minutes or doesn’t even show at all.

  If you are going to take the time to set up an appointment with someone, that person should at least honor his/her commitment to meet with you on the specified time — not a minute later.

• Waiting on line unnecessarily.

  Ever go to a bank or a post office and begin to wait on a super long line and while you are waiting you see that most of the employees are simply chatting about their children or hairstyle as opposed to calling the next person in line.

  I’ve seen this happen so many times that I almost expect this type of service, which is quite sad. Do yourself a favor and try to limit the waiting time for your customers. Email them back promptly. Answer their calls right away. Do anything that you can to cut down that time.

• Not following through.

  We’ve all experienced this one. You know, when someone tells you that they are going to email you that information but never do. When someone promises you that they will begin work on the 15th but don’t get around to it until the 30th. Or when someone gives you their word to help you out but instead end up going to the movies.

  One of the worst business practices known to man is the inability to follow through. When you commit to something, you have do actually do it. If your word means nothing, then how do you think people are going to feel about your business? Think about that.

• Be upfront.

  As an entrepreneur you have to learn how to make tough decisions even at the expense of hurting someone’s feelings.

  Don’t drag someone along for months and months because you are too scared to tell them that they aren’t the right person for the job. By doing something as ridiculous as that, you are doing more harm to that person than help. Additionally, you are compromising yourself as an effective leader.

• Fill in the blank.

  What are some things that really piss you off and makes your blood boil?

Sure, it makes us angry when we have to experience these bad business practices but everything happens for a reason, right? These experiences are great for us young entrepreneurs because they teach us what not to do; they teach us how to improve our own businesses; they teach us how to become the best.

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