So you ’ ve made a mistake . An error . A little boo-boo , or perhaps a big blunder . Your first instinct might be to deny or cover up or argue , but owning up to your mistakes can give your business a boost . Yes , really .

WHEN MISTAKES OCCUR Firstly , there ’ s something you should know : everyone makes mistakes . Put your ego aside , as there ’ s no point assuming otherwise . Whether you ’ ve ordered incorrect quantities to site , told a subcontractor the wrong dates for a job or promised a client something you can ’ t deliver on in the end , no-one is perfect .

“ We ’ re all out there trying to do our best , but there are going to be times when it doesn ’ t go as

planned ,” says Travis Reading , CEO and founder of Tradiematepro , a business coaching consultancy for tradies .

Most mistakes are of the honest variety , and many occur simply because two parties have different expectations of the outcome .

“ If it ’ s with a client or builder , or if you ’ re a subcontracted trade , it often starts from a misalignment of expectations ,” says Reading .

“ The client might be thinking one thing , but the tradie wants to deliver another . No-one ’ s right or wrong , and it ’ s not necessarily bad workmanship or someone being dodgy – it ’ s just two different expectations and it boils up from there .”

BUSINESS BENEFITS Whether you ’ re a subcontractor , boss or sole trader , there ’ s one very compelling reason to apologise for your mistakes : it ’ s good for business . Why ? Because owning up to an error shows you ’ re accountable , care about quality and value your relationship with the other person .

In practical terms , it improves your chances of favourable reviews – by word of mouth or through online platforms .

“ We all live or die by reviews now ,” says Reading . “ Usually the best reviews are when something ’ s gone wrong and someone says they were happy with how the business went out of their way to resolve the problem .”

Even though it might appear to pose a risk to important relationships , apologising for your mistakes can cement relationships with clients and act as a valuable business opportunity .

“ When you acknowledge that things go off the rails sometimes , it ’ s a chance to make a friend and build a strong relationship ,” says Reading .

“ If you ’ ve done something wrong , drop the ego and use it to your advantage to create a relationship . Instead of getting caught up in who ’ s right or wrong about this $ 100 or $ 200 issue , and spending 10 hours arguing about it , sometimes it ’ s just about resolving it and focusing on making a friend .