Business depends on reputation. When an individual presents himself to a client, he or she will often say something to the effect of "Good morning. I'm Jim with Such-and-such Company," and insert his company's name in place of "such and such." Clients will identify that person with that business from that point forward. Furthermore, clients who know the business will trust that individual before meeting him based on that business's reputation. So what happens when that sales person IS the business? Those who own their own home business must maintain a high level of integrity if they plan on continuing to own a business.
When a person starts with nothing, he still has his name. From the first day that he opens his own home business, he must work to not only maintain his name but to build a good name among business associates, clients, and his community. Conflicts especially arise with home businesses, and thus integrity becomes an even more important issue. For example, many home business owners must deal with the conflicts that exist between their place of business and their home neighbors. Many people do not want a business in their neighborhood, even a home business. Thus they fight against things like having clients park in front of their homes or having proper zoning laws followed. The home business owner must work hard to maintain a positive relationship with his neighbors because this in turn will help him build a great reputation.
In the end, the good guys win. The pessimists of the world wallowing in their own pity will tell you that good guys finish last. However, in the business world, when a person runs his home business with the highest standard of integrity, he will receive his just reward. Other respect those who do business honestly, and thus client lists will increase, and revenue will go up. Sometimes decisions may seem more difficult because of a moral dilemma. When in doubt, go the route of integrity. It may not seem like the most obvious or profitable route at the time, but 20 years down the road, those who act with integrity will have no regrets for how they got where they are.
Psychologically, maintaining a home business with a high standard of integrity just makes sense. Those who lie and cheat and bend the rules may find themselves ahead for a minute, but psychologically, they're dying. They're constantly wondering if they will get caught and if they will lose their business and furthermore, what their friends will think of them when that occurs. Compare it to childhood. Consider the situation where a parent tells a child he may not have a cookie before dinner. The child makes a conscious decision to disobey his parent, and he sneaks a cookie under his shirt and out the door where he quickly gobbles it up before anyone knows. However, that cookie tastes horrible. It falls to the bottom of the child's stomach, leaving him with a sinking feeling of guilt. The guilt plagues him and follows him around until finally when the parent finds out, the child is so relieved to let go of his guilt that the spanking he receives almost feels good. His conscience has gotten the best of him. The same principle applies with business. Those who cheat to get ahead in any business realm, including home business, will struggle with the oppressive feeling of guilt and fear until they are finally caught.
Those who cheat in the home business realm also fall into the same trap that anyone who cheats does. With every incident of dishonesty, additional acts of dishonesty become easier to commit. Again, consider the child. When he takes the cookie the first time, he feels incredibly guilty. However, with each successive act of disobedience, his guilty feeling alleviates just a bit. Those who always act with integrity will never feel the guilt and will not have the repeated temptation to cheat.
Dishonesty never works. Those who are starting their own home business from scratch have just their reputations, and thus they must work hard to make them reliable ones.