Be a Good Person

I bought a T-shirt from a shop in Denver that read: Be a good person. The first time I wore it, as a joke, everyone asked if I was wearing it for them or for myself.

I’ve built my business from scratch. My partner — my husband — and I have been the only investors. I came to Canada about twelve years ago with limited access to capital, resources, or support. As a small business owner, I’ve been through a lot. One battle after another. Yet, with the support of a great team, we managed to take baby steps, hit our revenue targets, and build a solid reputation in the industry.

In the past six months, projects have increased — and with them, the daily pressure of delivering consistent quality. We still can’t afford senior staff, or better to say, the right staff to manage projects. So as partners, we’ve had to stay involved in the nitty-gritty.

Last month, I faced an unhappy client on a project that could have seriously damaged our reputation. The team tried to manage it, but with each submission came failures, repeated mistakes, and the struggle of working within a broken system and unclear workflow. When I finally dug into the details, I realized the root of the problem; Me.

I hadn’t communicated my expectations clearly at the start. I hadn’t told the team what quality meant to me, or what missing a deadline truly costs us. And yet, when they missed one, I got frustrated and became the angry boss — the kind everyone hates.

I had a meeting with the client today. I presented, and somehow managed to make them happy again. The company’s reputation survived, but mine took a hit. When I came home, I took off my work suit, opened the closet, unfolded the light brown T-shirt, and slipped it on. This time, I wasn’t telling anyone else.

I was telling myself: Be a good person.

Hey, I’m Gracie. I’m working on my debut novella, Is the sun a he or a she? a romance.