I totally agree with you Jackie - I think in any service oriented industry (or anything we do as humans ) it's important to learn from others and try to better ourselves.
The difference seems to come though when we start to be our own bosses - wanting to please people means being inclined to make exceptions to things that would otherwise be pretty crucial to the successful operation of a small business.
I've been down that path of making exceptions for this or that and end up getting twice bitten for it because I initially lose out on whatever it is I'm being asked to compromise on (late fees, availability, etc.) and then again later because once you allow it that first time you will invariably be asked again...and again....and...
You get the idea

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