Chapter 12 - CLAIRE'S ACCOUNTABILITY
Claire also had something to admit.
She had used Margaret’s audience.
Not secretly.
But conveniently.
When Morgan House first featured her pepper jelly, sales at the roadside stand rose.
Claire thanked Margaret publicly.
Tagged Morgan House.
Used:
As featured in Morgan House Holiday Table.
For months.
Margaret’s brand helped her.
Claire had benefited from the association while resenting the hierarchy.
Both true.
When she later launched Morgan Roadside Pantry labels, she did not negotiate a clear brand separation first.
She should have.
Not because Margaret owned the name Morgan.
Because two family businesses using similar names were predictably going to collide.
Claire’s lawyer said:
“You were entitled to sell your products. You also could have handled brand architecture better.”
Claire laughed.
“Brand architecture?”
“Yes.”
“I hate that phrase.”
“Still true.”
Accountability did not require equal wrongdoing.
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Poor branding communication was not equivalent to smashing a stall.
But acknowledging smaller mistakes kept Claire from turning herself into a flawless protagonist.
