Bottom line, during the start of my journey into business I lost money to theft, every entrepreneur I have spoken to has told me the same thing, "This is the price you pay as you learn the ropes." And "you got off really easily."
I had lessons to learn about business and people, in my stubbornness I had ignored these lessons in my 20s and early 30s with light consequences, I was always surrounded by pretty successful and honest people but this was my first time dealing with people who truly have chosen hustle to stay afloat.
When I reflect on my actions and when I'm honest with myself I only have me to blame for any losses I took during the first half of the year.
My instinct when it happened was to suffer in silence. Blame myself, and give up, thank God I opened my mouth and said something because when I did the stories started to come out from the staff and people around me and I realized I wasn't "crazy" or "selfish" or even alone. I was the latest but certainly would not be the last to suffer.
I was being used and set up and the con had been in the works for months. I was in a situation where I soaked up all the liability (rent/ salaries) and my partner was buying all the assets. Me opening up saved me because my silence and detachment from those around me allowed my former associates to paint me in an unsavory way to people who controlled the major assets.
I wouldn't leave this situation without damage to my reputation but the people who really mattered at that point in time got the real story just days/ weeks before the con was complete... My landlord had no idea that I was paying 100% of the rent and wages for my business and apologized to me once we sat down and she figured out where the money was actually coming from, she was actually scared of me because of the "stories" she had been told for months. If I kept silent, we would be talking about eviction and possible police involvement if the con was successfully pulled off.
