‘The phone rang. It was our main competitor in the area, in charge of a cement factory. He asked if we could sell them a certain amount of cement because the other vendors would no longer allow him to purchase on credit. They were going through a very difficult moment from a financial standpoint because of the dissolution of the family business, and all that this entails. I knew that the situation was serious and I felt inside that the moment I had always been waiting for had arrived: I had been handed the opportunity to change history. This competitor was really playing against me in the market and had told colleagues that his only mistake had been to allow me to raise my head a bit. Following his request, the conversation went something like this: “Don’t you worry, you’ll have the cement on Monday.” “But I don’t know if the check will be ready on Monday. I haven’t been paid in two months now.” “No problem, call me when they’re ready.” “How much money will I have to pay you?” “You’ll pay what I pay. You’ll pay me that.” “But you won’t make a profit like that.” “But it doesn’t make sense that I make any money on this deal. You’ll never be my clients and now you need a hand.” He thanked me and the conversation ended there. But I can assure you: The satisfaction and happiness that I experienced in that moment were worth far more than the cement. This little incident caused surprise among my employees who at first didn’t understand, and I had to explain to them that the most important thing wasn’t the incident in itself, but what can come from it, both for inside and outside our business. That month we had record sales, and right in the middle of the economic crisis we are managing to sell around 30% more compared to the same period last year. This way of dealing with people, placing ourselves at the service of others has strengthened our reputation and brought new business opportunities every day almost without having to go out in search of them anymore. I believe that if businesses were to discover the value, also the economic value that is generated by the principles of the Economy of Communion when they are applied in a radical way, they would not hesitate to put them into practice.’ By Germán M. Jorge Source: “Economy of Communion – A New Culture” n.30