Do You Suffer from Temporary Blogging Dishonesty? |

Ryan Biddulph November 24, 2025 blogging tips 🕑 4 minutes read

Cookeville Tennessee USA

I arrived to our new location in Tennessee a few moments ago.

Look up. That’s me.

I attempted to get an oil change for the ride.

Kelli secured a coupon. 25% off for a conventional oil change. I re-read it. I scoured the fine print. I would get 1/4 th off the basic, no fills, conventional oil change.

But the guy at the place noted how the coupon seemed valid only for a synthetic oil change. He looked at the words on the coupon. He hesitated. But he eventually – after running things through the computer – told me that the coupon worked only for the most expensive oil change even though the coupon said it was valid for the cheapest oil change.

The synthetic oil change cost? $100 USD.

The conventional oil change cost? $50 USD.

Hmmm…..why did the employee claim that the conventional coupon seemed invalid but worked only for the $100 USD synthetic oil change?

He and/or the well known chain suffered from a temporary case of business dishonesty.

I politely thanked him and left without getting the oil change. I harbor zero grievances toward the guy or the well-known brand because the ego runs the world and always wants to get over on you. The intuition considers the good for all involved. I have implored you guys to run a heart-centered business for well over a decade now. What about the world? The world usually listens to the ego because profits win, pretty much always.

Being dishonest – or flat out lying – potentially increases profits but opens a can of worms. Few bloggers know this truth.

I enjoy letting things go from a grievance/complaint/review level. But some do not let things go as easily. One bad review hurts business. Two bad reviews amplify business loss. Never mind how working for dishonest employers hawking dishonest policies feels shitty.

Honest bloggers thrive. Being transparent inspires readers to trust you. Trusting followers:

buy your stuff
hire you
increase your blogging income through referral marketing

Being honest wins.

Lying always leads to loss sooner than later because liars lose trust and blogging income.

The Oil Change Thingee

The guy had to look at the coupon for a conventional oil change and deem me to be enough of an asshole to tell me it was only valid for the double-priced synthetic oil change.

Again guys; I have no issues with him or the company.

But you better not make the same mistake as a blogger…..or else!

Imagine telling readers that your $50 USD service is actually $75 USD at the check out.

Promoting a $50 USD service that becomes a $75 USD service at the check out is lying. You promised 50 bucks but raised the price to 75 bucks. How do you think people will like that? Not very much!

What You See Is What You Pay

The digital storefront thingee lists prices for whatever I sell at Blogging From Paradise Dot Com.

What you see is what you pay.

I intend to be as transparent as possible.

Why?

Being dishonest makes it tough for me to sleep at night. I could get over on people. But I would feel awful about it. Never mind how negative reviews would eventually blow my blog out of the water. Biting reviews travel around the world speedily. Negative news spreads fast.

But What if It Works for Other People?

One of the lamest excuses for being dishonest: shady business practices net hefty profits for fellow entrepreneurs.

People say……“It works!”

Does it?

Crappy tactics boost blogging income temporarily. But wait until one, two or ten pissed off customers bitch and moan about your dishonest business practices. Does *that* “work”? Does your long term blogging income grow exponentially on the heels of negative reviews building into an overwhelming tsunami?

Imagine making a few bucks on the front end. Fools say that “It works!”

Picture losing your:

reputation
credibility
exponentially increasing blogging income

Does that sound intelligent?

Never Sell Out

Never sell out.

Never engage in dishonest business practices for short term gain.

You will lose it all over the long haul.

Billion dollar businesses get away with horse shit strategies because:

billion dollar businesses have vast resources
a decent percentage of the gen pop is mindless, careless, feels guilty or has the means to throw money at problems

Possessing unlimited resources and a less discerning customer base lets big brands weather some negative publicity until it blows over. Meanwhile, the cash cow spits out dizzying profits.

Bloggers like you and I have none of these luxuries.

Our words are everything.

Being honest is the only choice.

Succeed.

Sleep well at night.

Conclusion

Be fully transparent.

Make sure that everything lines up perfectly.

Charge what you quote. No funny business.

Be on the up and up with blog content, too. Publish long form resources to answer questions in-depth. Leave out no steps. Add all necessary tips to give readers the rest of the story. Sell detailed premium resources too. Over deliver through your online courses and eBooks. Offer highly-detailed services.

Go the extra 5 miles.

Stand out by being mindful.

Be honest to maintain integrity.

Thrive.