It is sometimes the case that doing a good deed - whether voluntarily or enforced - can herald great rewards. Some might wish to label it as some kind of business karma, others simply good luck. Whichever it is, play by the rules and good things can happen.
This is particularly true of Yellow Cab, a California-based taxi firm that was recently featured on the hallowed pages of CNN Money in an article entitled 'Yellow Cab holds California's last IOU: This family-owned business got California's final $41.60 voucher - adding to the $16,000 the company is already owed'.
What happened to Yellow Cab is essentially very simple - as are the benefits that will come as a result of it.
As a result of featuring on the pages of such a reputable news provider, Yellow Cab will no doubt benefit from some advantageous - not to mention free - online PR.
California has a habit of running out of money. When the coffers run dry, warrants are issued to all traders and companies that do business with the state with a promise that the debt will be repaid.
California began issuing IOUs on July 2nd in order to cover costs as a result of a depleted budget.
The initial vouchers carried a redemption date of October 2nd, but this was since changed to September 4th as a result of a budget agreement reached by state lawmakers.
This meant that all those people in possession of an IOU could begin to reclaim their monies last Friday.
For Yellow Cab, these said monies totaled over $16,000. Overall the state issued 449,241 warrants worth a total of $2.6 billion.
Distributed with an interest rate of 3.75 per cent, interest payments could reach $9.68 million if all receipts are cashed.
So why has Yellow Cab grabbed the headlines? Well, this is where the 'luck' comes in - it is the company to which the very last IOU has been sent and one for the existing pile of 61.
Company president Fred Pleines Jr said: "It hurts cash flow, but it hasn't hurt that much. If it went on for a long time, it would be a problem, but $16,000 - that's livable."
And what was the last bill? It was a $41.60 trip made by a California Department of Fish and Game worker - just business as usual.
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