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One of the most prevalent instances in which I have experienced someone behaving differently due to compensation was in high school when my friends and I decided to create our own business. As seniors in high school, our lives were centered around academics, athletics, and our social lives. However, when we were available, we would meet at my friend’s house to create fingerboards (tech decks) which we sell in bimonthly drops. Bimonthly drops enabled us to be flexible with when we worked but as soon as we began seeing profits, it turned into a competition to create more products. We initially started the business because we were all interested in entrepreneurship and wanted to spend time with each other and work on a project in our last year together. It was quickly recognized that there would be an opportunity to make some serious money yet rather than reformulating how our group operated, individuals took it upon themselves to create value individually in a battle to get more of our profit split. While this new process worked given we were competing to create more products, we burned out quickly and we lost motivation for the brand. I believe the main causes of the problem were that we were splitting profits unevenly and we had varying schedules. Rather than collaborating and building on each other’s ideas, we created an environment that alienated each other. Through this experience, I learned that value should not be perceived by dollar amount and that competition is blinding.