The Worst Part of Business

The hardest part of self employment is not the incredible amount of time and energy it takes to create a successful business but the short amount of time it takes for some unprincipled slacker to steal your ideas and dilute the market until no one is making any money. For those of us that drive the market with our energy and creativity it is the worst part of business. One of the partners suggested we only put slow moving product in the window display so the neighbours will only steal bad ideas. It's obviously a good thing they have me because that ridiculous suggestion would have the potential customers walking right by. So how do you solve this problem? My suggestion, much more proactive than the partners, was to grind up the sandwich boards of these intellectual property thieves and stuff them down their throats. Unfortunately this kind of negative energy can twist you up inside until you are attacking customers if they are carrying the competition's shopping bags. Recently I discovered product in another store that is a direct ripoff of my artwork. They were unapologetic, even dumbfounded that it might be wrong. I could hire a layer, get a cease and desist, get grumpier and grumpier until I drive everyone away. I'm still making a living so what the hell. Every now and then I put on a ball cap and sunglasses and with wet painted hands go handle a little merchandise. It's immature and probably even wrong but man it feels good. The only real solution is to keep having good ideas and hope these idiots get hit by a bus.