I was recently talking to an Asian entrepreneur who has fashion clothing shops, both in her own country and in a Western country. As she spoke about her business, she spoke of the methods she uses to get around paying customs duties and the false values she places in invoices.
Her ability to sell fashion clothing for cheaper than her competitors has gained her a bit of a reputation. It is great that she is using her entrepreneurial spirit and Asian connections to help her break into markets in a way others can not, but the moral cost it too great.
The basic problem is greed. She could easily make all her dealings legal and still make money. It is all a matter of how much money can be made and how one little illegal action can alter the profit margin so much. When we let greed decide our actions, our self-loving pursuit of money will not only tear down our reputable standing in the business community, but usually work to the detriment of others as well.
Somebody loses. To an extent, that is a fact of competition. Competition can be good, though. It drives us to create and innovate. Unfair competition, however, gives us the easy path which only tears down and devalues the hard work of others.
For one, her competitors lose. They cannot sell so cheaply and still maintain a living. They are starting to unify against her, and I do not blame them. Two, the nation collecting the tarriffs loses. Though it may be easy to say these big nations with their broad tax base do not really need tax on a few small products, it is still best to play by the rules that everybody else has to play by.
These young entrepreneurs need guidance. They fall to the love of money, but often a little encouragement in the right direction can make a big difference. Even this girl received a challenge to stop dodging customs and falsifying invoices. Business can be mutually beneficial, if we only challenge greed and strive for excellence in our actions.
