Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
There is the old Russian proverb, “Trust, but verify,” made famous by a former president’s comment on a nuclear weapons treaty. To me, that particular verbiage signals a negative connotation, which is why I prefer the phrase “trust and verify.”
The desire to trust others remains an intricate part of business. Something within us wants to believe most, if not everything, that our employees, clients and vendors proclaim. However, one of the most valuable lessons learned in my 20-plus years as an entrepreneur involves verifying essential information that I instinctively want to trust.
Based on most guidelines, we are a small company.