I was imprisoned for two years for petty theft but am now a reformed character and trying to establish a painting and decorating business in my small home town. But people talk, and hostility is building in parts of the community. It’s beginning to have a negative impact on my business. How can I win the support of my community and prove that I’ve changed?
There’s no way around this. Painting and decorating involves personal contact. Of course, people will feel nervous about you going into their home if you have a history of theft. The answer is always to be honest about your past because it already says that you recognise it, can imagine that your customer is anxious, that you made a mistake, and that you can be trusted above and beyond because the slightest suspicion will collapse your business.
They need to know that this is very, very important to you and if they trust you then you will absolutely reward them. In this instance, I think knocking on doors is the way forward. Get in front of people and have this conversation. The talk is going on anyway so you might as well front up and say, look, you’re going to get a better job out of me than anybody else because I’ve a point to prove.
I have employed people with criminal records and it’s paid off but I haven’t employed the ones who have hidden their past from me. If they explain their view on it now, how seriously they have taken their offence and that they will never do it again, then I will give them a break. If either I discover their past for myself or if they’re flippant about it then that’s not good enough. Generally, if you give people a break then they rise to the occasion.
Deborah Meaden is author of Common Sense Rules, £18.99
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