There is a man who lives in my city, I’ve seen him around for quite some time now but anytime I say hello or talk to him it’s like he doesn’t have the time of day and saying hello to me is a burden.  He’s an asshole.  I questioned my friend that knows him much better than I do and he said the same thing, “Yup, definitely an asshole.”  So it’s confirmed, he is in fact an asshole.  Maybe he doesn’t mean to (highly unlikely), maybe I come off the same way to him (I’m a smiler so highly unlikely) so why does he do it?   I think some people are just not happy people, they don’t want to meet anyone else, they’re satisfied with their friend circle and yes maybe saying a cheery HI, HOW ARE YA!?!? to me is a burden.

But wait, there is a silver lining to my cloudy relationship with this asshole.  Recently I heard he started his own company.  HIS OWN COMPANY?  An asshole trying to make it as a business owner?  I had to see for myself and low and behold when I checked online he did start a company.  Personally I have no idea how he is going to make it, especially in a city this size where the word gets around so fast.  I know I won’t support his business.

Here’s a free tip to any entrepreneur:  Don’t be an Asshole.

I’m sure you’re not and don’t ever plan to be but in our fast paced society the little things matter, smile at people, say hi once in a while, it’s not that hard.  And for you budding entrepreneurs, meet people, talk to them, remember there name.  The person I know that has the most “social capital”, knows the most people and is doing quite well for himself has done two things and continues to do them extremely well.

1.  Remembers every persons name he meets (well pretty close and if he forgets I’ve seen even him find the name).

2.  Makes other people feel like they are the most important people in the world.

Not difficult right?  Try it out for yourself, you’ll be amazed at what can happen.  So don’t be an asshole, it’ll get you much further in life.  The more positive of a person you are the more people want to talk and associate with you, a smart strategy for any entrepreneur.

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Tagged as: asshole, Attitude, Entrepreneurship, Life

About the Author

Hi, I'm Jeph. I love helping people make smarter business decisions. I consult, speak, facilitate and do project work on new marketing strategies (It's a cross between word-of-mouth and social media). I'm currently a working on a brand new marketing company and freelancing with a few special clients. The marketing industry is changing very rapidly and the only way to stay on top of it is by a philosophy of continuous learning. Do you have an information strategy? Are you learning faster than the world is changing? If not, we should talk. Follow me @JephMaystruck

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