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Principles are fine. We should all operate at the highest ethical standards. But at what cost? If your customers bring an error to your attention do you fix it promptly and move on? If so, you’re doing what you need to be doing. It isn’t your job to bring the world to account for their mistakes, as enticing a task as that may be.

A common misperception among small business owners is the idea that every business cost must be pushed to its lowest limit, and that costs that are considered unfair, outrageous, or uncalled for, must be fought, no matter the cost. This is often referred to as the “principle” of the thing. Principles are all fine and good, and where would we be without them? However, we’re in business to make money, not change the world by forcing it to conform to our standards. Too many small business owners don’t take into account the value of their time, nor the value of their employees’ or contractors’ time. If you’re paying your contract bookkeeper $55 an hour, does it make sense to have him spend an hour working on getting a credit of a few dollars on your cell phone bill? On a bill for materials? Wouldn’t it be more cost effective to just pay it and move on? And what value do you put on your time? Would your time be better spent building your business, making more sales, building your infrastructure, than in chasing a 2 dollar overcharge?

Egregious mistakes of course need to be dealt with, and costs that are consistently incorrect on an ongoing basis. But if you’re so wrapped up in the minutiae of your business that at the end of the day you can’t see what you’ve done to generate revenue, perhaps it’s time to consider how you spend your time.

Principles are fine. We should all operate at the highest ethical standards. But at what cost? If your customers bring an error to your attention do you fix it promptly and move on? If so, you’re doing what you need to be doing. It isn’t your job to bring the world to account for their mistakes, as enticing a task as that may be.

d we be without them? However, we’re in business to make money, not change the world by forcing it to conform to our standards. Too many small business owners don’t take into account the value of their time, nor the value of their employees’ or contractors’ time. If you’re paying your contract bookkeeper $55 an hour, does it make sense to have him spend an hour working on getting a credit of a few dollars on your cell phone bill? On a bill for materials? Wouldn’t it be more cost effective to just pay it and move on? And what value do you put on your time? Would your time be better spent building your business, making more sales, building your infrastructure, than in chasing a 2 dollar overcharge?

Egregious mistakes of course need to be dealt with, and costs that are consistently incorrect on an ongoing basis. But if you’re so wrapped up in the minutiae of your business that at the end of the day you can’t see what you’ve done to generate revenue, perhaps it’s time to consider how you spend your time.

Principles are fine. We should all operate at the highest ethical standards. But at what cost? If your customers bring an error to your attention do you fix it promptly and move on? If so, you’re doing what you need to be doing. It isn’t your job to bring the world to account for their mistakes, as enticing a task as that may be.

have him spend an hour working on getting a credit of a few dollars on your cell phone bill? On a bill for materials? Wouldn’t it be more cost effective to just pay it and move on? And what value do you put on your time? Would your time be better spent building your business, making more sales, building your infrastructure, than in chasing a 2 dollar overcharge?

Egregious mistakes of course need to be dealt with, and costs that are consistently incorrect on an ongoing basis. But if you’re so wrapped up in the minutiae of your business that at the end of the day you can’t see what you’ve done to generate revenue, perhaps it’s time to consider how you spend your time.

Principles are fine. We should all operate at the highest ethical standards. But at what cost? If your customers bring an error to your attention do you fix it promptly and move on? If so, you’re doing what you need to be doing. It isn’t your job to bring the world to account for their mistakes, as enticing a task as that may be.

ng a 2 dollar overcharge?

Egregious mistakes of course need to be dealt with, and costs that are consistently incorrect on an ongoing basis. But if you’re so wrapped up in the minutiae of your business that at the end of the day you can’t see what you’ve done to generate revenue, perhaps it’s time to consider how you spend your time.

Principles are fine. We should all operate at the highest ethical standards. But at what cost? If your customers bring an error to your attention do you fix it promptly and move on? If so, you’re doing what you need to be doing. It isn’t your job to bring the world to account for their mistakes, as enticing a task as that may be.

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Principles are fine. We should all operate at the highest ethical standards. But at what cost? If your customers bring an error to your attention do you fix it promptly and move on? If so, you’re doing what you need to be doing. It isn’t your job to bring the world to account for their mistakes, as enticing a task as that may be. Concentrate your interests on bringing in more business, on cutting the costs that are material to your operations, on living the life you envisioned when you went into business for yourself. These are the things that matter – principles are fine things, but winning minor skirmishes means less time spent on the major battles.