Thought of the week - Professionals

I used to hire professional help through friends or people that "fell in my lap" who spoke Hebrew and it was comfortable; or just because the price was right and laziness was on my side. How did it all work out? I ended up with an "out of status" visa situation and was not able to leave the US for 5 years. My then lawyer thought it was OK to file a renewal without having the right conditions for approval. Then my dermatologist didn't think the black mark on my wrist was a problem. But for some reason I insisted on having it removed only to find out it was melanoma; thankfully in a very early stage. My accountant opened a profit sharing plan for the company but failed to file it correctly so we ended up paying penalties to the IRS. My customs lawyer didn't pay attention to a letter sitting on her desk for a while and we ended up in long painful legal process to prove Alembika was indeed made in Israel. My son's pediatrician ( a few years ago) thought it was a stomach virus and sent us home twice. We ended up in a hospital with an emergency surgery for a burst appendix and 2 weeks in the hospital. I learned my lesson. I hire professionals that I research about and I pay full price for. I meet them and if my gut tells me no, I pause and don't move forward. There are some low quality doctors and lawyers, accountants and teachers. Don't compromise. Listen to your gut. How do you choose the people you work with? Happy Monday, Yael.