High Road vs. Low Road

Small business is the backbone of America, so I've heard.  During my pass through the outplacement organization there was much talk about starting your own business.  "Franchise" was the hot word.  You just buy a franchise and make money.  The downside is that you pay 3-8% directly to the corporate entity and you buy all your products from them or their preferred vendors and you pay a certain amount of fees to use their systems, etc.

LHH encourages you to focus on identifying the organizations with whom you'd like to work, what positions they have available and the values and culture you desire.  There's a dark side to organizations that's hard to uncover before you are inside.  Sites like www.glassdoor.com and others solicit feedback from employees about weaknesses (and strengths) of organizations but it appears that employees are unwilling to share.  Perhaps we'd all be better off if we were honest about the dishonesty of organizations and people.  There are many petty thieves and miscellaneous low-lifes with and without jobs.

We've had small businesses on and off for three or four decades.  None of the franchise deals or "how to start a small business" books or seminars deal with the unpleasant things that come around.  Everyone understands shoplifting and employee theft and you can deal with that.  The challenging ones are the robberies and the burglaries.

This morning I stopped by the retail operation at 6:30 AM to pick up products for a Farmer's Market.  The outside lights of the multi-tenant were all off and it was remarkably dark outside.  Parking outside the front door I left the truck running with the lights on and opened things up.  After opening the front door I went in and out about six times hauling boxes.  Before leaving I decided to use the rest room and turned on the lights.  Apparently someone did not like our normal business hours or using the front door.

Certainly it's invasive.  Fortunately I believe they exited as they had entered as I re-arranged things outside before coming in.  The take was $59 in small change.  I spent all day with three or four insurance people and two visits from the sheriff and then a trip to Home Depot for materials to secure this before the actual repair.  I lost several hundred in sales at the market I was attempting to visit and about five hours of my time cleaning up and securing the space.  Repairs and the lost $59 will be covered by insurance but there will be a $500 deductible and a series of unpleasant negotiations with the building owner over who is responsible for what.

You work hard, treat people fairly and simply try to a nice person and professional about your craft or crafts.  During my 27-year gig there were a few times when someone threw a 50 pound hunk of concrete through me or at me.  That's difficult or impossible to avoid in the executive suite.  Recovery from a hit or near-miss is often impossible (note my unemployment).  In our businesses we've had lots of shoplifting.  That's sort of like people simply not being honest.  We've had one robbery.  Being face-to-face with a bad person is sort of straight forward.  They tell you what they want and you more or less respond and then it's over.  Burglaries leave me uncomfortable.  People have been places they are not supposed to be.  You don't know what they've done outside of the obvious.  Were I not so tired there would be chapter written about organizational robberies and burglaries, people who do deceitful, dishonest work right in front of you and those executing likewise behind the scenes.  I've worked with both and glad to be done with those who take the low road.

Comments of the day:

• Landlord:  That's your problem.  It's part of the tenant space.
• Sheriff:  Why don't these people just get a job.
• Neighbor:  I hate people
• Customer & fellow tenant:  I just don't understand how people do this.
• Customer & retired detective:  I'm sure the Sheriff will be on this.
• Naive customer:  I hope they catch them.
• Another fellow tenant:  What's with people.  They are all lowlifes.

On the positive side:

• I was close, but did not have  to be face-to-face which would have turned this into something else.  I'm no longer interested in having street or organizational robbers or burglars dictate my life.  Someone would have gotten hurt.
• It was a beautiful fall day.
• I'm not sure, but I don't think anyone really offered to help.  It's like when someone dies and people say let me know what I can do.  Today someone could have just brought a sheet of plywood.  That's what I expect of landlords and insurance companies.  Fortunately I've been done this route and expected nothing from either of those parties and that's what I received.
• The business partners were helpful and supportive and did not complain when I covered them in dust from the circular saw and one of them did not complain that they were probably breathing toxic dust from plywood glue and bonding products.
• My son was supportive and understanding from the other side of the planet.
• I probably disturbed the perps and that kept anything from freezing out with the cold air blowing through the whole.
• The 50 pound concrete block did not hit the toilet which would have resulted in a major mess.  Shutoff valves are normally stuck or absent.
• In my own form of destruction I loved affixing a plywood cover to a large broken window with construction adhesive knowing I would not be the person attempting to remove the broken window.
• Three sheriffs came for lunch.  We gave them a deal.  They'll be on the watch for someone who can fit between sixteen inch on center 2x4 studs.