Legal Audit for Small Business Owners

The legal audit is an important, proactive first step to reducing or eliminating certain risk factors that may confront a small business owner.  This diagnostic review of your business can help make sure its plans and objectives are consistent with current statutes and regulations.  The process may uncover problem areas, minimize risk and offer legal solutions to help your company achieve short and long term business objectives.

Answer the questions below to reveal potential problems:

Consider legal counsel to avoid risks associated with growing your business. 

Questions?  Contact Frank G. Goldman at

678-705-8483

or

This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) offers free resources to small business owners aimed at helping your business succeed. 

Free Online Classes

The SBA now offers free online training courses covering a myriad of helpful topics.  Available classes cover: Starting a Small Business, Surviving in a Down Economy, Business Management, Financing and Accounting, Marketing and Advertising, Government Contracting, Business Planning, E-Commerce, International Trade, and Federal Tax Training.  These classes are available 24/7 in English and Spanish. 

Small Business Development Centers

Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs) provide management assistance to current and prospective small business owners. These centers offer assistance and resources through branch locations around the country. 

SCORE Counseling

SCORE is a nationwide network of more than 10,000 volunteer business counselors.  The volunteers use their business acumen to advise, coach, and lead entrepreneurs toward successful business strategies. 

For more information on these programs and others follow the link to the SBA’s website: http://www.sba.gov/

Over the weekend, I had the pleasure of attending the 12th Annual Georgia Organics Conference in Decatur.  The challenges faced by the businesses in the organics farming movement are significant.  First, the costs of production for the organic farmer are far higher than for the "conventional" farmer.  It's simply more expensive to produce a gallon of milk organically than conventionally, and that cost has to be passed along to the consumer in an adverse economic environment. 

More troubling is that we have designed our post-World War II agricultural system to increase yields of just a few cash crops.  That has served us well in part, as it has created vast production of corn, soybeans, wheat, etc., allowing millions to be fed relatively cheaply.  It has a significant downside, as it has overly concentrated resources into just a few crops and has created large agricultural institutions with entrenched political interests.  Thus, "Big Ag" has devoted billions to perpetuating the present system, despite the adverse environmental impact that certain practices have had and despite the fact that our diet has become less diversified.  Michael Pollan, author of "The Omnivore's Dilemma" made these (and many other) points in his address to the attendees at the conference.  I don't pretend to know all the specifics, but he does make strong points that the chain from "Big Oil" (in the form of fertilizer and transportation) to "Big Ag" has significant societal costs.

Of course, food has to be affordable to the public, and that's the biggest challenge to the organics movement.  Even in good times, few can afford to feed a family on $8.00/lb organic chicken and $6.00/box of raisin bran.  Certainly, policies need to be changed, but mechanisms have to be developed that will lower the cost of production for successful organic farming practices to take hold in the country.

The organic producers I have met are devoted to their craft, perhaps to a fault.  The challenges are immense, but their devotion is admirable.

Today's economy is the most challenging of my lifetime.  Few eras have experienced the combination of high unemployment, tight credit and repressed cash flow that we are seeing today.  Banks aren't lending; formerly good customers aren't paying on time; and new customers are increasingly hard to find.  Despite the economic slowdown, costs in certain sectors (healthcare) continue to rise.

While I can't solve these problems, I am hoping that this blog can serve as a forum to assist with surviving these difficult times.  Going forward, please check for updates relaying tips I have for the small business leader for surviving turbulent times.  I also may reflect (rant?) on those aspects of current events that significantly impact the closely-held business and its owners, concentrating on legal issues that may not be immediately apparent to those not practicing law.  I hope to update the blog at least weekly, so check back periodically.

Feel free to contribute your ideas.  I welcome input from those who have survived the wars.  We can learn from each other as we try to guide our businesses in these tough times.

FGG