Small Business Blues

 So I stop at a car wash to vacuum my car.

Both change machines were out of order.

All three vacuums were broken.

If you are going to have a small business, active or passive.

TAKE CARE OF BUSINESS

Phishing Gets Really Nasty

 Phishing attacks directed at businesses appear to be on the rise.

An email comes in asking for a payment on a contract with wiring instructions included, except the instructions are phony.

Or an email arrives asking for a change in payment routing information on a real vendor, but the new routing information goes to a thief.

Defense:

Employees should always check with superiors before accepting such changes.

Any payment activity, especially large sums, should be subject to multiple checks and double checks.

Now Is The Time

 Now is the time to start getting ready for your 2023 income tax returns.

Yes, now.

The cleaner your bookkeeping the easier the tax return.

Study your 2022 tax return to determine what information is needed and reflect on how easy it was to deliver information to your CPA or EA.

Now really is the time.

The Latest Fraud Scheme

Check washing is the latest fraud scheme.

The check is stolen, soaked in acetone, the original ink fades, and new payee and amount information is added with a dark pen.

The bank cannot detect the difference. So......

NEVER mail checks in the outdoor blue box, thieves have stolen master keys.

NEVER mail checks in a home or business box with a red flag.

Take the checks into the post office and mail in the indoor slot.

What is Consulting? Part 1

 What is consulting, and what exactly do consultants do?

Consulting is advice from an outsider person or firm, not including accounting or legal advice (although these three types of advice are often interrelated).

The consultants offer either specific technical advice or general business advice, or both. Some consultants may be hands on with implementation, often in tech projects, where the users are not sophisticated enough to do installations and set up.

At times the role is crisis management - financial, strategic, operational or HR among others.

The role of the consultant is to add value to the business, either by fixing problems or improving operations or both.

This series will discuss types of consulting, relationships with consultants and the business of consulting.

Driving through the front door

 A frequent event these days is a car or truck driving into a business, often through the front door. All hell breaks loose.

Sometimes it is by accident.

Sometimes it is a robbery after hours.

Every business should have architectural barriers protecting the front door, yes, maybe those unsightly yellow posts or large concrete flower planters.

Security Protocols for a Harsh World

If you are in any sort of retail business, you need protocols and training for 1) armed robberies, 2) shoplifters and 3) active shooters.

Office complex? Active shooter reaction.

Yes, the world has come to this.