What I have learned about good business practices

When I left High School, I knew nothing about business. I was eager to learn though, and was fortunate to have an incredibly good boss as my first teacher.
I was working in a busy travel centre in the city, my first job out of high school, and it was in this place of business that I was to learn some of the most important things that to this day I still try to implement in my own business.

SAY THANK YOU
One of the things that made it worth coming back day after day was that my boss, without fail every evening as he left or as I left the office, would say thank you for today's efforts.
Every day, Without fail
This meant more than I am sure he even realised.  The work I was doing was important to someone else, it mattered and therefore made it all the more important to me to do my job well. I felt appreciated.
 
I make sure to thank every person who refers my service to their friends or family. My business relies on word of mouth referrals, and every referral is important, and I appreciate it.


TREAT YOUR CLIENTS LIKE YOUR FRIENDS AND BE APPROACHABLE.
No one likes to deal with someone they don't like.  I meet so many really nice people in my day to day business meetings, that it is hard not to make some real friends along the way. After all, if you were helping a friend with a problem, you would make sure you did it right, wouldn't you?


DON'T BE AFRAID TO ADMIT YOU ARE WRONG.
Sometimes I don't get it right. Luckily for me, this doesn't happen often, but when It does, it is important to make things right.  I try to work by the motto, the client isn't always right, but the client ALWAYS wins.

BE UP FRONT WITH PEOPLE.
This basically comes down to the most important part of my business. Be HONEST. If you are honest, people know what to expect when they deal with you. This will generate loyalty and return business


I have worked really hard to build up a good name for my business and I am proud to say that I think I have achieved this goal. When people refer me, they often say things like he is honest and trustworthy, and it is often the people I have met through my business, who I am now very proud to call friends that do this the most. I truly love what I do, and enjoy helping people.

I am also very grateful for the lessons given to me by my first boss.

Valuable lessons learnt and applied in my own business today.