If you’ve ever had a contractor duck out in the middle of a home-renovation job, a mechanic blatantly overcharge you for a simple fender-bender, or a hairdresser stop after cutting half your hair, you know the heartbreak of wasting your time and money with a shady tradesperson.
This is why it’s so important, when researching independent service providers, to ensure that you find one who’s been assessed by a reputable body of inspectors, and duly endorsed — whether you’re in the market for a lawyer, a real estate agent, or even a sherpa. In fact: make that especially if you’re in the market for a sherpa.
We’ve all been in the position of planning an expedition up Mt. Everest — arranging for financing, stocking up on gear — only to discover at a crucial moment that one or more of the sherpas we’ve hired actually doesn’t have any mountaineering experience at all and is actually just a grad student in Political Science from the University of Maryland. And then where are you? Stranded on the side of a cliff, thinking about making grad-student stew.
Really, it’s a mistake you only make once. From then on, your sherpas will all show you the proper credentials and prove that they are fully bonded.
