Belle's World - Karma
Originally published on entrepreneurdeux.com on May16, 2013. This topic is still relevant as it speaks to relationships (the human element) and the importance of it in business even today!
Are you aware of the Karma you are creating in your environment?
The old saying goes, “Karma will come and bite you on the ass,” but I have noticed that it comes and kisses you on the ass too—if you let it. What does karma have to do with business? A LOT. Business is built upon relationships and of course sound business decision-making. However, what I want address and focus on are the relationships and the intangible of how the world works.
The first story is about the intangible karma in life.
In a two week span, I had two incidents that have either made me money or prevented me from having to spend a lot of money. The first incident happened when I received four $5 bills and five $1 bills back from the valet. I gave him a $20 bill and he gave me back $25. As soon as I finished counting the money, I immediately returned one $5 back to the valet and also tipped the valet driver who brought my car. Fast-forward two weeks from this incident and I received a $300 credit from the Marriott Marquis in San Diego. By the way, I did give them public credit for this on my social networks. Their customer service action of crediting the money to my room was above and beyond what I expected for the item that had been lost in one of their conference rooms.
The same weekend I returned to my base in Dallas and a group of us ended up at the Ritz hotel on a Saturday night. While leaving the Ritz, we noticed a purse had been sitting next to us for quite a while. The bar was closing so we decided to give it to the bartender. Ten minutes later, we realized I had lost my phone. My friend called my number and a security guard picked up the phone saying that it had been turned in and they would return it to me immediately at the front desk. I was not worried about the data on the phone because I could have deleted it remotely. However, I was worried that I would now have to pay $300 to get a new phone (A new phone now would cost me almost $1,000.) In both of these instances I received excellent customer service and didn't lose money because of my karma-positive actions previously. You could say, “Karma truly did kiss me on the ass!”
However, let me give you an example of where building relationships has played a critical role in my life. They say never burn a bridge and it is critical, no matter what, that you don't do it—even if the other person has burnt the bridge with you. At some points in my business career, I have been passed up for a promotion by people who had less experience and education. Some of the supervisors (in the distant past) have burnt the business relationship bridge with me by making the decisions they made. However, because I did not burn the bridge with those same supervisors, they gave me rave reviews when it came time for me to move on to bigger and better management roles.
As an entrepreneur, remember to build the personal relationships with potential customers and industry leaders. The more they trust you and understand you as a human, the more likely they are to do business with you today and in the near future. Building a relationship is a two-way street—so if there is any way you can help and support them in their own business endeavors, it will come back and help you two-fold.
Sometimes you will not find a direct line connection to why something happened and what was the original act. It is critical that you don't take anyone for granted or use them; otherwise you will break the relationship and they are likely to talk negatively about you to others. This is not a good brand image if you are starting a business.
Be good in how you do business and karma will come kiss you on the ass.
Are you aware of the Karma you are creating in your environment?
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Welcome to Belle’s world. Everything in this world is based on a bell curve. Our media concentrates on giving advice to make everyone be a part of the masses.
This is a weekly series of Radical Roamer’s CEO’s insights and her perception of the world. They say perception is reality and she lives in her own fantasy world. This allows her to delve into the human element of our lives, helping individuals decipher their own souls, to understand, who they are and what they want, in the journey of life.
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