Robert Kariuki Wanyahoro

THE MERCHANT: HONESTY POLICY DEFINES AN ENTREPRENEUR’S TRUE HAPPINESS Some individuals argue that kindness is a virtue that cannot be taught in learning institutions rather it’s inherent in one’s conscience right from birth. I personally conquer with that particular notion but won’t completely rule out the role partly played by our immediate environment in influencing, molding and shaping our behavioral patterns. The same can be argued for honesty as a personal attribute rather than a collective or organizational strategic tool. The world has condensed into one economic village due to the globalization phenomenon that integrates and links diverse world economies, cultures and social aspects. This comes with its own load of challenges that include cultural erosion, ‘forceful adoption’ of unfair business policies, and transfer of technological advancements among other contributions. An entrepreneur has the ability to identify an opportunity in a given market and exploit it profitably by filing that market gap/need with innovative products and services. At that point when consumers have totally bought into your value proposition, it’s when thoughts of unethical business tactics corrode your weakest mental link as a vehicle to achieving abnormal profits. In this point in time, customer’s delight and value for money takes the back seat while profits obsess the only sane part one had preserved for business sustainability analysis. Some people ask whether profits shouldn’t be the only business objective. If you agree to this, chances are you won’t derive job satisfaction, tolerance, perseverance and passion from meeting client’s needs in the absence of profits. A well-grounded entrepreneurial venture should not just be an end to one’s life journey rather it’s the very reason that defines the human being you are/were. There exist both good and bad days in a business cycle and when profits are not fourth coming (particularly during the recession phase), frustrations and misery become part of your business’ mission statement. If customer’s delight and positive transformative initiatives from a business model are among the key goals, one will always find comfort, consolation, happiness and strength from the loyal customers who stick by your side through thick and thin. Nature has its own mechanism of rewarding honesty and hard work with or without our consent. In most cases, an honest entrepreneur lives behind a legacy and a trail of rich knowledge to be used as a future case study and provide best business practices guidelines. This can be partially portrayed in the Japanese organizational culture commonly described as ‘Shushin-koyo’ or life time employment where employees work hard and pledge strong loyalty to their organizations, for better or for worse, especially during the early years. To elicit such loyalty, there has to be total transparency, honesty and real value exchange when an organization conducts its day to day business operations. True natural happiness comes from the simplest of tasks which are mostly given freely to us by God such as sharing, kindness, honesty, respect, love, care etc. all of which ultimately defines the entrepreneur one is through his/her business deeds. True happiness cannot be stored or put in a safe for future use during sad days. It can only be experienced and shared momentarily with the people around us to create beautiful memories for those who know its worth.