What we know to be true today is that transparency and customer experience are at the heart of long lasting entrepreneurial and business success. This is a truth that some may never quite realize, while for others it may simply take time, but for me, this fundamental truth was apparent from the first moment I stepped into the corporate world.
It All Started When…
I was assigned as an inbound phone representative answering calls from customers of a national insurance company that had sold accidental death policies to each of these trusting and unsuspecting individuals. They were offered a free trial offer; however, the fine print stated that the policy had to be canceled or the charges would start billing automatically.
As you can imagine, these customers were beyond upset. Many of them didn’t discover until months afterwards that they were being charged unwanted payments, and all we could offer them was a two-month refund. I quickly realized that patience and sincerity went a long way with people. Additionally, I became quite good at disarming my callers, many of whom were senior citizens.
As each day passed, I lost a bit of my idealism at the expense of cynicism. I began to wonder if doing business in this misleading manner was the only way to achieve success. The insurance company I worked for was large and successful, which led me to ponder if there was a sustainable way to balance the need for maximizing profits with beneficial business practices.
Greed, The New Norm
The irony of this situation may be best illustrated by Gordon Gecko, who said, “greed is good” in Wall Street, one of the iconic movies of eighties. A couple of decades later in the sequel, Gecko said of greed, “now it seems it’s legal.” Even he realized the changing times.
Many of us saw and felt the ramifications of this turbulent time first hand. Over the years corporate America utilized “legal” lobbying to change financial regulation by relaxing rules and oversight to such an extent that reckless behavior ensued, subsequently leading to the global financial meltdown. A situation that rocked the foundations of governments, destroyed giant multi-national corporations, harmed common hard-working middle class individuals and left many of us in a state of shock.
I am an optimist and an entrepreneur, so I have confidence that there is a silver lining hidden even in the darkest clouds. What I learned from the Great Recession, as a financial professional and middle class American, is that apathy and indifference do not solve problems; they fuel them.
We Must Because We Can
It is this aforementioned quandary that led me to launch the Social Responsibility Innovator (SORIN). My hope and belief is that SORIN will take a leading role inspiring others. A role that brings lasting change by proving it is possible to integrate social responsibility within financial services, but only through cooperation. In this way we can all succeed together, whether in business or in life.
I ask you to join me in my endeavor to bring individuals together, to create a collaboration that fosters trust and reliance on one another, instead of expecting the government or corporate America to solve our problems. It is best if we accept the reality that no one is looking out for the great American middle class, which is shrinking each day. We owe it to ourselves and our children to look after each other, and to help each other in “Filling the Financial Gaps of Life, Together.”