There are plenty of reasons to not drink and drive. While you may think of those reasons as mainly relating to your personal life, have you considered how they could impact your ability to own and operate a business? As any of the TorontoDUI lawyers can attest, the DUI consequences can be more profound than you think. Here are a few examples to consider.
Increasing Your Operational Expenses
Even if you operate the business from home, there are still times when you need to make a quick trip for supplies, to meet a client, or engage in some other business-related activity. What happens if you can no longer drive yourself? Relying on cabs, ride-sharing options, or public transportation is feasible when there’s time to plan ahead. However, those options can also increase your operating expenses by quite a wide margin.
Keep in mind that not being able to drive limits your flexibility. It’s simply not possible to be at a client’s door in 10 minutes if you have to wait for a cab or until the next bus comes round. That can lead to some frustrating situations as well as increase your typical monthly expenses.
Customers Might Lose Confidence
There’s always the possibility that one or more of your established customers will learn about the DUI. Some may shake it off, but others may begin to question what other poor choices you’ve made. Could those choices impact the quality of the goods or services offered through your business?
Once doubts are planted, it can take quite a bit to dislodge. Be prepared for needing to prove yourself over and over to clients, assuming they do choose to remain with you. The process to rebuild your reputation and overcome the DUI consequences could take years.
Your Reputation May Precede You
It’s not just established customers who may be affected by the DUI. As word gets around the business community, you could find that prospective customers stop talking to you. Some new leads may refuse to engage at all, based on what they’ve heard. In their minds, they are better off dealing with someone who would never take this sort of risk. The fact that your company offers products that are more suitable for them won’t enter into the decision.
In short, a DUI conviction could hamper your efforts to increase your client base. Unlike established customers who may be willing to give you the benefit of a doubt based on past experience, other consumers have no positive history with you to draw on. Overcoming their objections could prove to be more than you can manage.
Funding Sources May Be Harder to Find
Of all the potential drinking and driving consequences related to your business growth and reputation, this may be the one that has the most immediate effect. The conviction now makes you a bad risk in the eyes of some lenders. There will likely be some who will still work with you, provided that you’re willing to agree to higher interest rates and more restrictive terms. It could take years before the impact of the conviction finally stops impeding the ability to get funding for your business.
The bottom line is that drinking and driving do not mix. Aside from the personal ramifications, the business DUI consequences of this type of conviction could seriously harm your business. Think twice before getting into the vehicle and call a cab instead. You can always retrieve your car the following morning.
