Are Ethics in Business Lost? Part 2
Jason Yost • May 27, 2026
Are Ethics in Business Lost? Part 2:
Why It Is Important to Have a Heart to Serve
"When work starts with everyone seeking compromise, what's necessary only happens by accident." ~ Jason Yost
One of our founders, Jason Yost, tells a story about a person, who was running a business in a small city, that was performing $4 million in business annually. While he started his business off strong, over time things became neglected and clients were taking notice. Throughout the city people would say to Jason, "You don't work for... Do you?" (He did at the time. When he tells the story, he adds: "I didn't want to work somewhere with that kind of reputation, so I made my plans and left.") Now, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to understand that the kind of reputation that this company developed through neglect isn't one that sustains a business. Immediately, there is a cost to the community. Eventually, there is a cost to the business.
The problem that this business owner had was he took his success for granted, towering it over others, as if elite to the world around him. He believed that his service was so important that the community could not live without him, so it didn't matter what the community thought of him or his business - the community would mind itself! (He would often say, "Sometimes you have to compromise your morals.")
We, here at Gulf Coast IAQ, disagree; in fact, Gulf Coast IAQ was founded on four main principles that our founders, Jason and Cynthia Yost, believed were essential for successful service and successful business growth. One of these principles is: Having a Heart to Serve Others!
A genuine heart to serve others is essential for so many reasons, for example let's look at the difference between two attitudes: (1) a sincere care for others and (2) lackadaisically going about providing a service to others.
- People aren't stupid. You may be in a specialized field (e.g., mold remediation or mold assessment), but they get it. They know when you care about them and when you don't. And, when you don't, they take note. Just for fun, try this exercise: Without giving it any thought, think of the time when you experienced terrible service. Done? Now, without thought, think of the time you had the greatest service. (For most people the former is easier to immediately respond to than the latter. Was that your experience? This should tell you something.)
- Likewise, when your heart is truly in the service that you are providing them, they notice, begin to trust and defend your service, and begin to take your service for granted (which is a huge responsibility for anyone who has reached this level of trust).
We, here at Gulf Coast IAQ, believe in what we do and in those we serve. This principle is rooted in our foundational principle: Our faith in God. So, when we hear feedback from clients, like "I cannot say enough good things about Jason. He took the time to explain our options and made our situation become manageable. After Jason's help I was confident in our path forward to getting our problem fixed.", we understand: We are the ones who have been blessed by serving you - every single one of you. God bless.
"Every job that we perform is a loan from our client in the form of trust. Our job is to pay back that trust with interest by providing a thorough, honest job, keeping in mind that our first priority should be to serve others before ourselves." ~ Jason Yost
Are Ethics in Business Lost? Part 1: Why It Is Important to Have a Principle-Based Business
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