When did we stop believing in American exceptionalism?  American exceptionalism is based on capitalism.  Free people with the liberty and opportunity to build, invent, create and do business in a similarly free, open and respectfully competitive marketplace that encourages one to go above and beyond in order to attract customers and clients.

I would guess that we stopped believing in that when we began accepting cronyism and restricting markets in order to prevent competition and reduce the monetary and social skill expenses to get and keep those customers and clients.

It became easier to justify restrictive and "regulated" markets that allow for monopolies and boorish, lazy efforts at customer service because they now have government working to protect them in the name of jobs and the economy.

No one has to be exceptional anymore in order to stand out.  With the right connections and enough money, the public and marketplace can be brought to heel for you.

As self employed small business owner myself, I firmly believe in and engage in trying to be exceptional and to exceed customer expectations.

To me, that is part of my American heritage.  To not just do something.  To do what I choose to do, how I choose to do it, in the style I select to do it in.  There is no half-assing it.  All out, full on, put everything on the table, go above and beyond effort.

I will have it no other way because I am an American and that is in my American heritage.