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Happy Tuesday #Jontourage,
Welcome back to the “Classy Gent Chronicles”, where staying classy is the only way to be. Let's jump right into it.... So nine years ago, I graduated from high school. I had the honor of being Valedictorian (the graduate with the highest grade point average over the course of the time in high school). The term “valedictorian” comes from the expression “vale dicere” or "to say farewell". I remember my principal Dr. Ryans, calling me into his office over the loudspeaker. I thought I was suspended even though I was a good kid only to be told I was valedictorian of Friendly High School’s class of 2008. I was overfilled with pride, joy and emotion. I called my mom to tell her and she didn’t even believe me. How rude! She thought it was some sick practical joke. I said “mom why would I call you at 9:30 in the morning to be lying while I am supposed to be in class?” When it finally hit her, she just broke down crying. She was so proud. Being Valedictorian was cool for three main reasons:
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Happy Tuesday #Jontourage,
Welcome back to the “Classy Gent Chronicles”, where staying classy is the only way to be. Let's jump right into it.... The past few months have been filled with some interesting business experiences. I have had things I wanted not pan out, people steal my ideas, but this situation I am about to describe definitely takes the cake. Without getting into too much detail, I was getting ready to commit to doing business with someone and surprise surprise, I was told I had to pay a fee despite that never being discussed before. What added to my shock is the amount of phone and email correspondence that had occurred prior to a fee brought up in conversation. To all the business owners of the world, please communicate your full price up front. If you provide a service, I am considering you a business owner. It does not matter if this business is online, store front, international, minority owned, small or a major corporation. I have had too many situations in the last six months where "secret fees" popped up. If we are discussing numbers, I plan to pay what we discussed. If you tell me $90, I expect to pay $90, not $107.83 or some other new number because of some secret fees popping up that weren't originally discussed. If your business has transaction fees, sales tax, delivery fees, etc., please notify your client in advance. I understand good marketing is to reel the customer in with what seems like a great rate but by the time all the charges are added, we aren’t even in the same price neighborhood anymore. What I and every other customer wants to know is, when it’s time to swipe my card, pay the invoice, pay in cash, or write a check, how much am I paying? As a business owner, that is the amount you should be telling me from the jump. Happy Tuesday #Jontourage,
Welcome back to the “Classy Gent Chronicles”, where staying classy is the only way to be. Let's jump right into it.... Giving back is literally one of the most important things you can truly do. It is not just a hope, it is an obligation every human has. Two years ago, I actually wanted to volunteer with one of my old schools I went to growing up because I have always loved community service. Besides, Prince George’s County Public Schools did so much for me, it is literally the least I can do. After some unsuccessful attempts, I was slightly discouraged. At the time, my book was not published either so I felt as though this was God’s way of telling me to be patient and that all good things happen in time. Working at a university for five years is a proud accomplishment I hold but I do think a good guest speaker also does more in his community than just his nine to five position. Having the desire to be a public speaker in a large capacity without having the credibility of some of my present day accomplishments could have ended the disastrous for me. |
AuthorJonathan C. Harris is no stranger to leadership, hard work, or success. At the age of ten years old, he earned the right to be a guest weatherman for a day on Fox 5 DC News. He has already received over 100 honors and awards including Forty Under 40 for Prince George’s County, MD, TEDx Talk speaker, American College Personnel Association (ACPA) Outstanding Men’s Program, high school Valedictorian and the Kiwanis Club Citizenship Award. Raised in Fort Washington, Maryland, he has served in leadership positions his entire life, from being the manager of the school store in elementary school to the president of the Homelessness Awareness Club in middle school to the president of the National Honor Society in high school. Archives
September 2020
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