Letting my cousin help with orders taught me a harsh business lesson
My cousin needed a job so I brought him in to assist with wrapping and labeling during a rush. He mixed up the lamb and veal cuts because he didn't know the difference, and we sent out wrong orders to five regulars. They were really annoyed, and we lost two of them as customers for good. Fixing the mistake meant remaking all those cuts from scratch, which wasted a lot of time and meat. I learned that good intentions aren't enough in this trade. Now, I have a firm rule that family must go through the same training as any new hire. It might feel strict, but it protects your shop's reputation. Trust me, setting clear rules from the start saves a lot of trouble.