Ethics Aren't for Appearances
Ethics run through every aspect of your business. There are many things that are not illegal, but which aren't nice. Your clients may not know quite what the standards of the industry are, but they know when they've been done wrong by. And they remember it.
Ethics include a set of standards that protect the interests of the client along with the interests of the service provider. They aren't just words, they are actions, and feelings, and beliefs put into practice on a daily basis.
If you have a policy of keeping your client in control of their own interests, then you have to sometimes teach them what those best interests are. Just because you CAN earn extra by charging for things you do not clearly disclose up front does not mean you SHOULD. In fact, if there are clues that the client is not quite understanding what you are explaining, you have a moral obligation to back up and explain again.
It is sad that we have to teach about ethics. It is sad that a company has to define them. But we do. If we wish for our own company to grow, we state our ethics to our clients so they know what we do. We state them to our employees, and make sure they follow the same standards. And then we teach them, so that no student leaves our facility without understanding that not only is profit possible within the constraints of high ethics, but in fact, high ethics is an enhancement to good business.
MicroBusiness owners are targets for a wide variety of unethical schemes. Don't be another person who joins the ranks of the lazy and the cruel. Don't justify any kind of questionable situation when you can take steps to avoid misunderstanding or disadvantage to the client. Their interests are your first priority. And if you place them as such, they WILL pay you back, many times over.