The economic fallout from the Enron bankruptcy scandal is one example of why it's important for you to find a good accountant. Experts say start-ups and established businesses can avoid legal problems that can doom their companies by finding trusted advisors. To Start Your Own Business, Mike West tells us how to go about finding trusted financial advice.
Start your business
Mike West: New business owners need to make sure their legal and accounting bases are covered. To do that, lawyers and accountants are required. They can be hired or borrowed from agencies that provide at least some free advice. To get started with your search, you may check the phone book or search the internet. The local small business administration also can help, free of charge. Debbie Callen is the manager of Business Development and Outreach at the Cleveland office of the SBA. She advises going to the local Bar Association or joining a trade association that deals with the type of business you plan to start.
Debbie Callen: I think going to trade associations to get a referral is certainly a good idea because having an attorney and an accountant who know the specific problems of your industry is very, very important. For accountants sometimes I think it's just good to call some accounting firms, if that is a firm that specializes in serving the small business client.
MW: The SBA can also tell you how to research and check the background of the law or accounting firm you plan to hire. If you're short on cash, Callen says the SBA also sponsors free workshops conducted by the Service Core Of Retired Executives, or SCORE.
DC: And some of the speakers at these workshops are accountants; they always have CPAs at these workshops giving good advice about the types of things you have to do to set up your books, get in place a plan to pay your taxes on time and all the accounting issues you need to settle when you start up a business. Often times attorneys come in. Sometimes people just decide to go with somebody who's been a speaker at one of these types of seminars and I think have had good results.
MW: This is the Lusty Wrench garage. Its owner is Sam Bell. 14 years ago, he walked away from a law practice to fix cars. Because of (his) background in law, he's never hired, didn't hire a lawyer. But he needs professional help with his books.
Sam Bell: We've needed accountants - that's probably my weakest suit. I'm very deficient in clerical skills. So we defiantly had to hire accountants along the way and we have a wonderful accountant.
MW: Like many other small business owners interviewed for this series, Bell finds the professional help he needs through family and friends. They even helped finance his Cleveland Heights garage.
SB: I think a lot of people advised me not to do this, that it was really a bad idea. I'm not sure why I was so pig-headed and didn't listen to them.
MW: Bell admits he was very lucky to survive and probably should have done things differently. He didn't have a business plan and went broke setting up shop. His luck, if you call "luck" losing money for 3 years and working 7 days a week. Bell credits his turn around with seeking out others for their thoughts on business matters.
SB: I believe that networking is very valuable, especially when you're starting out - it would certainly be helpful to talk to other people who are experiencing or who have experienced and gotten through some of the problems that you're experiencing, just knowing that your are not alone and that they are surmountable.
MW: However, caution is also advised when it comes to advice. There can be a hidden agenda or sales pitch behind what seems like help. Ed Kroger has owned the Farkas Bakery on the west side for a year. He's says constantly bombarded with questionable advice which makes him very suspicious.
Ed Kroger: Just because of the sheer volume of calls that come in on a weekly basis of people who are so willing to help you out. I probably get 3 or 4 phone calls a week on people that can, that know best what's for my business. They want to increase your production and they can help you out with a small business loan because they know it's tough for you, meanwhile they have never stepped a foot in the door and they seem to know all my problems here.
MW: Kroger gets a lot of advice from fellow business owners and family. But he gets irritated when outsiders call. He says he can sniff out a phony as easily as the smell of fresh baked bread.
EK: I get enough phone calls to realize that there are enough people out there looking to get a little cut of your money. That's what makes me suspicious. Again, they're coming in, claiming to be experts about something they know nothing about. At the moment I don't need their help and find it rather presumptuous that they're telling me they know what's best for my business.
MW: SBA officials say when seeking help, don't be afraid to ask a lot of questions and for a client list so you can check for yourself whether other customers are satisfied. Steve Millard of the Council Of Smaller Enterprises says make sure you know the motives behind everyone you talk to about your business.
Steve Millard: Every organization or entity has a mission, it has goals, it has some authorization of some sort and I think its very fair game to ask these folks why they do this. Some just want to give freely of their time - the business advisors of Cleveland are people who have been successful and what to volunteer their time to help others COSE is a membership organization so we help with the goal of trying to gain more members but we also provide a service as non-profit that's helpful to those folks.
MW: The Cuyahoga County Public Library and many colleges also have resources you can use to assist your business planning efforts. Would-be business owners can also visit the Cleveland Score offices and get free advice from their councilors without an appointment. In Cleveland, Mike West, 90.3 WCPN News.
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