W03 Journal — Honesty, Business Ethics & Building “A-Level” Ventures

W03 Journal — Honesty, Business Ethics & Building “A-Level” Ventures

This week reframed ethics from “nice to have” into an operating system for how I build. Elder Lynn G. Robbins’ “A–E grading” of motives hit hard: A-level work puts the love of God and fellowmen first, with income as a by-product. That clarifies success metrics for me: if my businesses don’t strengthen families, expand access, or uplift communities, they’re off-mission—even if they’re profitable.

Sheri L. Dew’s call to be “true blue, through and through” converted integrity from a slogan into daily practices. Integrity isn’t only “don’t lie”; it’s keeping promises when no one is watching, refusing shortcuts, and making choices I’d be proud to explain to my spouse, children, and faith leaders (my “front-page test”).

The founders’ perspectives grounded this in reality. Frank Levinson (“fanatically ethical”) reminded me that people instantly sense the moral temperature of a company—and great talent stays where the air is clean. His “too little money” principle also matters: scarcity forces creativity and customer focus. Jan Newman underscored “skin in the game”: when I take someone’s money, I accept pain and accountability until I return it with increase—never by cutting corners. Ken Zolot’s question—“Who cares?”—is my new filter against building elegant solutions no one needs. And Jim Ritchie’s formula (get up early, work hard, get trained, find your “oil,” make your mark, prepare to serve) ties ethics to purpose.

How I’m applying this now

  • Eco-resort (Angola): Operate at A-level. No bribes or “facilitation” payments. Local hiring and fair wages. Safety first. Family-strengthening programming is not an “extra”—it’s the product. Publish an annual community impact and transparency note.

  • Health-tech: “Privacy by design.” No dark patterns, no data sales without explicit, informed consent. Create an ethics checkpoint in every sprint (security, bias, and clinical safety questions before ship).

  • Ed-tech: Access as a promise—Portuguese and local-language micro-learning with scholarship seats. Measure learning outcomes, not just log-ins.

Guardrails I’m installing

  1. Written Code of Conduct for staff and vendors (anti-corruption, labor, environment).

  2. A “front-page test” and Golden Rule review before any major deal.

  3. Monthly “family council” to keep work from stealing from home.

  4. Metrics that signal integrity in action: % local procurement, staff retention, safety incidents, % vendors who sign our code, and customer trust (NPS + qualitative comments).

Looking forward

I’m eager to practice saying no to dirty money and yes to slower, cleaner deals; to mentor teammates in ethical decision-making; and to publish simple transparency updates. This week convinced me that integrity reduces anxiety, accelerates trust, and—most important—defines the kind of impact I actually want. My aim is simple: build A-level ventures that make a living and a life.

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