I own several small businesses (landscaping, A gas station, and a few liquor stores) and they're all doing pretty well. I run them completely honestly with good service and great respect for my employees and customers, with one exception: I artificially inflate my companies' Google rankings with fake reviews. I game the system so Google doesn't think they're spam by infrequently logging in to them and posting legitimate reviews on other companies that im actually a customer at. I use internet at different libraries so they don't all come from the same IP address.

I feel so dirty every time I create a new fake profile and leave reviews, but I know how important great reviews are for a small business. I have a note pad with hundreds of usernames and passwords written on it that I value more than almost any other document I possess. No, I've never once written disparaging reviews about competitors or written falsehoods about my companies for those of you wondering.

I know other companies do it too, but still. I really feel guilty sometimes because in a way im lying to the public and to my customers.

But It's afforded me a lifestyle I could never dream of when I was growing up, and provided my wife and kids a life teeming with possibility and opportunity because of our income. It just feels ill gotten sometimes.

Thanks for reading.