Watch out for the con artists in business

Business is not everyone’s cup of tea. Only the strong-hearted can withstand the pressure of business. It’s possible for those who can play the win and lose game. Such game is expected especially at the initial stages of setting up any business until it gets smoothly ready and functional.
It would be just a matter of time till revenue is generated out of the business and its operations. As the saying goes with no pain, no gain!
The norm of any business should be clear as the mission and vision of each real business in the world. Every business is focused on a specific field and this should not contradict with people’s interests, ethics and values.
What is really important is that personal relations should not be sacrificed to make a business. Such relations are meant to last forever and not to be spoiled by fraud deals.
If people think of only of profit making, they might lose their customers and the business later perhaps. They should keep in mind the long-term investment opportunities and sustaining their relations with corporates and individual customers too.
They need to think wisely on how to run the business and make realistic profit out of it. Besides, taking advantage of people is neither an honourable nor a right way of making a business.
Cheating people for the sake of making a living or profit is just inhumane at all. Unfortunately, it’s happening a lot with many business people some of whom are immature enough to run a business while others are deceiving and dishonest. They intentionally cheat on others and take advantage of them. Disappointingly, the market is full of fake business deals being made everyday; poor customers are the victims.
Speaking out of real experiences some of which I witnessed or others have come across, many young Omanis are getting involved in some unstable or illegal businesses. The lack of sufficient experience, greediness and carelessness are the key reasons behind most of those illegal deals being made to deceive customers and get advantage of them. Such deeds ended up putting all ignorant and dishonest business owners behind the bars. Some have lost their jobs, families and even lives.
How come they dare to steal the money of someone who trusted them! Some have been running a business of supplying expat labours and housemaids, but all what they have done is stealing others’ money.
As the demand of such labour is high, those insincere people thought of it as a really profitable business.
On the other hand, many young people are encouraged to start their own business.
Some job-seekers start their own business to make a living while for others it is an additional source of income. However, most of youth are still immature to manage a business, so they start their projects and end up being overloaded with loans. Some are doing dishonest deals with landlords, partners or customers.
Accordingly, all of these segments of people are ruining the reputation of Omani business people.
They also lose the confidence of individual customers and corporates who could be a possible support to Omani entrepreneurs and small and medium enterprises (SMEs).
Out of concern, we should be very careful when dealing with start-ups and the insufficiently established businesses.
Nonetheless, we need to support local enterprises and young Omanis and provide them
constructive feedback and recommendations so that they can succeed in their own projects.