The recent college admissions bribery scandal was a story fit for every outlet from the headline news to the tabloid press. Big bucks paid under the table. Nefarious practices exposed. Celebrities busted. For independent counselors, it’s easy to shake our heads and assure ourselves and our customers that we’re playing it straight and offering honorable advice. For most of us, that’s true. The swindler at the heart of this scam was an outlier, which is exactly what made the story so press worthy.

But it’s also a great opportunity to look at your own practice and ask, “What if this were on the news?”

The promises you make to families. The help you offer to students with their essays. The messages you send to students about their journey to college. What if a news outlet showed up and wanted to cover all of it? What if they wanted to watch you work, to interview your customers, to review your practices, processes, and outcomes?

Would you welcome the invitation, confident that an accurate, unvarnished representation would only be good for business?

And if not, what changes would you need to make to welcome that invitation to be on the news?