Call me naive but it never ceases to amaze me what some people are capable of doing when faced with a little healthy competition. Through a client who I prefer not to name, I’ve learned that another local business is trying to sabotage my client’s good name and reputation. The other business has “shopped” my client, causing an unnecessary scene during the visit and raving about the competitor’s business instead, reporting my client to the state for violations that didn’t exist, and posting a series of bad reviews online. The other business is doing everything possible to make my client look bad.

My client asked me how she could counter bad press, albeit false. Sadly, in a situation like this, there is little a business owner can do except to hold herself to the highest standards and to “play nice” even when others refuse to do so. I know this is frustrating for my client, and she doesn’t deserve this kind of negative attention. Getting into the mud with this other business owner won’t help the situation though, so we’ll hold our heads high and let them give us all they’ve got. We will continue to “play nice” and, at the end of the day, we’ll rest peacefully knowing we put in an honest day’s work.

Dana Neuts