Earlier this year I launched the start of my business, Life Stories Transcription Services. It has been a labor of love putting this endeavor together and I have stayed up some late hours deciding if I really wanted to do this. When push comes to shove, it is what I want to do because genealogy is my passion and my life. Because I have poured so much into this business, it has been like a child to me. It is what I am working to keep alive and well. To do this, I keep in touch with my clients, make deadlines and do the best work possible. I take pride in this work as it tells the stories of those that are past.
Last week as I was heading into my night-job (I wish genealogy was my only one!), I received a notification that my Facebook page for Life Stories Transcription Services had gotten a new notification and a review for my business. As I had finished a few clients recently for my work, I was excited to see what they had written. Eagerly, I clicked on the review and to my horror, I read this:
I was stunned. Up until this point of my life, I had never been accused of being racist before. I try my best to be an ally to POC and minority communities and give them the voice for their stories. The more I read this review, the more I thought that perhaps this individual may have gotten me confused with someone else or was trolling me. Then it dawned on me, I had never actually had any communication with her nor knew who she was. *cue sigh of relief*
Even though (after much discussion with friends), I realized that this was a scamming-type review, it still sat wrong with me. No one likes to be accused of racism. Even if we aren’t blatantly racist (as I am accused of), each day we make choices that can be subtle racism (or sexism, ageism, etc.) and these are things we can change, so that we won’t (probably!) ever be accused of doing something to someone just because the color of their skin.
Each and every one of us who owns a small business is the representatives of our business, in both our private and public lives, so don’t be like the folks who post their personal opinions on their business pages and ruin your business just because you couldn’t keep your mouth shut. If you have a racist opinion, honestly, the best you can do is not say it, or really even think it. Your racism has no place in our society. And that’s a fact.
Have you ever had a bad review on your business? How did you deal with it? Share in the comments below!
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