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5 Ethical Mistakes Business Owners Regularly Make

Hillary Clinton used her private email account and server for State Department business. Did she break the law? No. Was she wrong? In her words, “It would have been better” if she had just used her private email address for only personal matters. But was she unethical? That’s the question that both her supporters and critics will debate over the next few years as the next presidential election approaches.

If you’re a business owner, you’re used to this debate. Most of us don’t operate outside of the law. Sometimes we make wrong choices. Like Clinton, we sometimes make choices that would be considered unethical by some, yet perfectly appropriate by others. Yes, even you. In fact, you may have done five things this past month that could come under ethical scrutiny.

1. You snuck a few personal expenses through the business.

2. You hired that person because you just liked him more.

3. You shipped a product to a bigger customer ahead of a smaller one.

4. You charged a customer a ton of money for only 15 minutes of work.

5. You poached an employee from a friendly competitor.

Read more: Entrepreneur

 


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