A Lesson in Ethics: Reflections on a Unique Mentorship Experience
In the world of business mentorship, practical lessons often arise from unexpected situations. Recently, I was reminded of a humorous yet ethically ambiguous chapter in my career that left a lasting impression.
During my time as a mentor for a Junior Achievement team, consisting of eager 2nd and 3rd year associates coaching high school students, we were assigned the project of creating a small business. Our team chose to sell fruit baskets—an idea that seemed straightforward and promising. The plan involved purchasing bulk fruit, assembling it into attractive baskets, and delivering them to local customers. However, Junior Achievement set a challenging rule: our business could not incur any debt or liabilities.
On one hand, this rule safeguarded the organization. Yet, in practice, it created a paradox. We faced a fundamental question: how could we procure fruit without upfront capital, and how could we generate funds without taking on liabilities? The answer was elusive, leading us to a rather unorthodox solution. We decided to require our customers to prepay for the fruit baskets. This strategy allowed us to collect funds at the time of order, paving the way for us to fulfill deliveries a couple of weeks later.
From a business standpoint, this approach thrived. It was efficient and met the demands of our operation. However, here comes the twist—part of our responsibility included generating weekly financial reports to be submitted to Junior Achievement for their review. We quickly recognized that if we presented our actual cash flow and deferred revenue, it might raise red flags with the organization.
In a light-hearted twist of fate, we inadvertently found ourselves maintaining two sets of financial records. We had the “real” Accounting for our internal tracking and a polished version meant for the Junior Achievement review—one that showed a much more favorable and compliant financial picture.
It was during a casual conversation amongst ourselves that the realization dawned on us: “Wow, we’re keeping two sets of books.” By then, we had already been operating this way for several weeks. With the project nearing its conclusion and the operation running smoothly, we decided to continue with our dual Bookkeeping, knowing that there were only a few weeks left before our venture wrapped up.
Reflecting back on this experience evokes a mix of amusement and contemplation. While we navigated the complexities of entrepreneurship under the constraints of Junior Achievement, we also learned important lessons about ethics, transparency, and the often fine line between creative problem-solving and
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