Saturday 11 July 2009

Business startups - seeking professional advice

Before making a major business decision or starting something new it is often beneficial to have a quick telephone consultation with a professional. At the very least, you will benefit from hearing a second opinion about what you are aiming to do as it may help highlight some issues you overlooked.

There are experts in many fields available to help you – for instance, accountants will help you to set up the payroll and bookkeeping structure, solicitors can help with contracts and insurance brokers will help make sure all your business assets are covered.

The best time to speak to a professional is to discuss issues before they develop into problems. This is especially true with legal disputes or tax queries that could become quite serious if mishandled.

Here are a few points to remember when dealing with a professional:

Choose someone you are comfortable talking with and who will always make time for clients
Find out the best way to get a message to them (phone, fax, e-mail or snail mail).

Make sure you find out the billing rates and payment terms straight away so you do not get a nasty surprise later on.

At the end of your first meeting have a mutually agreed list of things that you want them to do for you and a time-scale in which they will be completed,

Check if they will consult with professionals in other fields on your behalf when dealing with complex issues.

Finally, if there is something about the process you do not understand get them to clarify it for you,

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