I’m a Strong, Confident Woman Who Can’t Be Trusted With Her Passport!
Anyone who knows me well (and there are plenty who do) would recognise the description of me as strong and confident.
Anyone who knows my partner well, would assume that despite the fact that he’s also strong and confident, I hold my own in our relationship, and of course I do.
They would therefore be surprised to see me being handed my passport seconds before I walk through passport control, and having it whipped off of me the second I’m the other side. In fact, anyone who didn’t know us at all would assume that I was being coerced or even trafficked.
The reality is that despite being encredibly well organised in all of my professional dealings, when it comes to my person affairs it’s a different story. In fact, I’m probably so engrossed in my clients’ affairs that I completely forget about my own, to the point where the night before a trip some years ago, I discovered that I had no idea where my passport was. It was eventually located (by my other half) in the most unlikely of places (I still tease him that he put it there) to the point where I’m no longer allowed to have custody of it myself, especially just before a trip!
This would probably come as a complete surprise to many people around me who would assume that I’m in control of everything in my life.
What comes as a surprise to me is how often people make decisions based on assumptions. Whilst those assumptions may be perfectly reasonable, if you are about to invest a large amount of money in a new business, or going in to business with someone, no matter how well you know them and how much you trust them, wouldn’t you do a little due diligence on them, or at least have something in writing between you? It doesn’t have to be a proper legal agreement – just an exchange of emails might be sufficient to confirm who is putting what in and who is getting what out, and when and on what terms. If they are who and what they say they are, they won’t have any objections to you asking a few questions and wanting a bit of supporting documentation, and if they object, well that speaks volumes!
Kleyman & Co Solicitors. The full service law firm. Because looks can be deceptive.