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Business Best Practices

How Fraud and Scams Affect Small Businesses—and How to Move Forward

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Fraud and scams are more than just occasional risks for small businesses—they’re a growing threat that can damage finances, reputation, and even long-term viability. From fake invoices and phishing emails to employee theft and cyberattacks, the impact can be devastating.

Small businesses often lack the resources and safeguards that larger organizations use to detect and prevent fraud. That makes them attractive targets for scammers—and particularly vulnerable to lasting harm.

In this article, we’ll explore how fraud and scams affect small businesses, common warning signs, and what steps owners can take to recover and protect their future.

The Real Cost of Fraud for Small Businesses
Fraud can take many forms, but the consequences often look the same:

  • Financial loss: Fraud can wipe out bank accounts, damage cash flow, and derail budgets.
  • Reputational damage: Customers may lose trust if data is compromised or if fraud becomes public.
  • Legal and compliance risks: Businesses may be liable for data breaches or face lawsuits from affected parties.
  • Operational disruption: Time, energy, and resources are diverted from growth to crisis management.
  • Emotional toll: Owners and staff may experience stress, mistrust, and anxiety after being targeted.

According to the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE), small businesses lose an average of 5% of their annual revenue to fraud, and nearly half of them don’t recover fully.

Common Types of Fraud and Scams Targeting Small Businesses

  • Email and phishing scams: Fraudsters impersonate vendors, customers, or executives to trick employees into sending money or sharing sensitive information.
  • Fake invoices: Scammers send legitimate-looking bills for products or services that were never ordered.
  • Payroll fraud: Employees falsify hours, inflate expense reports, or issue payments to fake vendors.
  • Credit card or payment fraud: Cybercriminals use stolen card details to make fraudulent purchases or steal payment data.
  • Business identity theft: Scammers use a company’s information to open fake credit lines or apply for loans.
  • Vendor scams: Fraudsters pose as suppliers, especially during procurement, and redirect payments to their own accounts.


How to Spot the Warning Signs

  • Sudden unexplained financial shortfalls
  • Duplicate or unusual payments to the same vendor
  • Missing inventory or supplies
  • Vendors or customers claiming unpaid balances despite records
  • Employees reluctant to take vacations or overly protective of their roles (a red flag for internal fraud)
  • Unexpected emails or calls requesting sensitive information or urgent wire transfers

What to Do If You’ve Been Targeted

1. Act quickly: Time is critical. Notify your bank, credit card companies, and law enforcement as soon as you suspect fraud.

2. Document everything: Keep a detailed record of all communications, transactions, and losses related to the incident.

3. Inform stakeholders: If customer or vendor data was compromised, notify them promptly and transparently.

4. Report the fraud:

  • To your bank or payment processor
  • To the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3)
  • To your local police department
  • To the Federal Trade Commission (FTC)

5. Review your insurance: Check if your business insurance includes fraud or cybercrime coverage—and file a claim if applicable.

6. Get professional help: Consult a lawyer or forensic accountant to assess the damage and support recovery efforts.

How to Move Forward and Prevent Future Fraud

1. Strengthen internal controls

  • Separate duties (e.g., the person who cuts checks shouldn’t reconcile the bank account)
  • Require dual approval for large payments
  • Conduct regular audits, even in small teams

2. Train employees
Teach staff how to recognize phishing emails, invoice scams, and fraudulent behavior. Make fraud awareness part of onboarding and ongoing training.

3. Use secure technology

  • Use reputable accounting and payroll software
  • Enable two-factor authentication
  • Regularly update software and back up data

4. Vet vendors and partners
Always verify new vendors before sending payments. Confirm any changes to payment details with a phone call to a known contact.

5. Monitor financial activity regularly
Review your financial statements and bank activity often. The sooner you catch something suspicious, the better your chances of minimizing damage.

Final Thoughts
Fraud and scams are a painful reality for many small businesses—but they don’t have to define your future. Taking swift action to recover and adopting strong preventive practices can help rebuild trust, restore stability, and make your business more resilient than ever.

The key takeaway? Stay vigilant, educate your team, and treat fraud prevention as an essential part of your business strategy—not just an afterthought. In today’s fast-moving digital world, protecting your business is just as important as growing it.

How to Improve the Value of Your Business Before You Retire

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Retirement is a milestone many business owners dream about—but selling or transitioning your business isn’t just about handing over the keys. To ensure a profitable exit, it’s essential to increase your business’s value before you step away. Whether you’re planning to sell to a third party, transition to family, or install a management team, enhancing your business’s worth will make the process smoother and more lucrative.

Here’s a strategic roadmap to help you improve the value of your business before retirement:

1. Start With a Clear Exit Plan
The earlier you plan your exit, the better. Ideally, give yourself 3–5 years. Determine your goals: Do you want to maximize price? Maintain your legacy? Ensure job security for employees? The answers will influence the steps you take.
Action Step: Work with a financial advisor and business consultant to develop an exit strategy aligned with your personal and financial goals.

2. Get a Business Valuation
You can’t improve what you don’t measure. A formal business valuation gives you a realistic view of what your business is currently worth and what factors influence that number.
Action Step: Hire a valuation expert to identify key value drivers and areas for improvement.

3. Strengthen Financial Performance
Buyers look closely at profitability, cash flow, and financial records. Clean, organized, and transparent financials not only boost value but also inspire buyer confidence.
Action Step: Improve your profit margins, reduce debt, and eliminate unnecessary expenses. Implement sound financial reporting systems.

4. Systematize and Document Operations
A business that runs smoothly without its owner is far more attractive than one dependent on a single person. Systems create scalability and reduce perceived risk.
Action Step: Document key processes, create training manuals, and establish standard operating procedures (SOPs) across departments.

5. Build a Strong Management Team
A capable leadership team that can run the business in your absence adds significant value. It shows potential buyers that the business can thrive post-transition.
Action Step: Identify, train, and retain key personnel. Consider offering performance incentives or equity to keep them motivated and committed.

6. Diversify Your Customer Base
Over-reliance on a few clients can be a red flag. Buyers worry about what might happen if a major customer leaves.
Action Step: Expand your marketing efforts to attract new clients, and create a strategy to nurture and retain existing ones.

7. Protect Intellectual Property and Brand Assets
Your brand, trademarks, patents, customer lists, and proprietary systems are valuable assets. Protecting them can significantly increase your company’s appeal and value.
Action Step: Conduct an intellectual property audit and ensure all legal protections are in place.

8. Reduce Owner Dependency
If your name, face, or personal relationships are central to the business, it may be harder to sell. Buyers want a business, not a job.
Action Step: Gradually delegate responsibilities, and shift key relationships to other team members.

9. Address Legal and Compliance Issues
Unresolved legal issues or outdated licenses can derail a deal. Make sure your business is in full compliance.
Action Step: Review contracts, employee agreements, and regulatory filings with a legal advisor to ensure everything is current and enforceable.

10. Increase Recurring Revenue
Predictable, recurring income streams are incredibly attractive. They reduce risk and provide buyers with future cash flow certainty.
Action Step: Introduce or expand subscription models, service contracts, or maintenance agreements where possible.

Final Thought
Enhancing the value of your business before retirement isn’t just about a higher sale price—it’s about creating a legacy, protecting your life’s work, and setting up the next chapter for success. With careful planning and focused improvements, you can exit confidently and profitably, knowing you’ve set your business—and yourself—up for a bright future.

Managing Remote and Hybrid Workers

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Whether or not the number of people working from office buildings ever returns to pre-COVID levels, one thing appears certain: Remote and hybrid work models are here to stay. Business owners and other managers who rely on individuals who are working remotely full- or part-time are refining and elevating their management skills so that they get the best out of their employees.

While managing remote and hybrid workers bears many similarities to managing fixed-base teams, it also has some unique aspects. Here are several best practices you may want to consider and apply to your own situation, no matter your level of experience in prior management of remote workers.

Make Your Expectations Clear and Simple
Clarify the hours when employees should be available and accessible. Give employees performance goals and metrics that define success in meeting those goals. Lay out clear guidelines when it comes to after-hours work-related emails and text messages. You want employees to maintain a healthy work-life balance, one that prevents burnout, and ultimately, keeps them working at peak capacity for your business.

Communicate Regularly
Employees want to know how they are performing and whether they are on track to meet the goals you set for them. Check in regularly with them and communicate your satisfaction or your concerns about how they are doing. Regular check-ins are important; just be aware that you can overdo it, since too much oversight may be resented by employees who feel they are not trusted. It’s important to keep them in the loop about any changes in company policy when it comes to wages, benefits, job openings, promotion opportunities, and other changes that may impact them.

Depending on the demographic makeup of your remote employees, you may have to refine your communication style. Talk with your employees and solicit their opinions on what works best for them — texts, Zoom calls, or other forms of instant messaging.

Listen Attentively
Closely related to good communication skills is the ability to listen carefully and attentively to what your employees are saying. You want to give them the opportunity to express what they think about their workloads and talk about any stresses or frustrations they may be feeling. When you listen carefully to what your employees are saying, you are communicating trust and respect.

Build a Sense of Community
Some workers thrive in environments where they can interact and engage with fellow workers face-to-face. That engagement is less important to other workers. One of your goals managing a remote workforce should be to build connections to workers who feel isolated and out of the loop. Employees who feel this way typically do not perform at their highest level. By staying in touch and by organizing the occasional virtual — or in-person — get together in which you build connections and a shared sense of purpose with employees, you can create a sense of community that can have a positive impact on employees and their level of engagement.

Embrace Flexibility
A rigid approach to managing your remote employees may be limiting and not as effective as a more flexible approach. For example, once you determine that the work is being completed on time and is of a high quality, you may want to give employees some leeway as to the specific times they are working.

The work world has changed in numerous ways over the past couple of years. Your management approach has to stay ahead of these changes, especially when it comes to remote work, if your business is to continue to grow and thrive.

Business Insurance — A Critical Safeguard

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An unexpected drop in sales, a competitor opening across the street, the loss of a key employee. Planning for these types of contingencies can be vital to the long-term success of a small business. Equally important is having appropriate insurance coverage for protection against financial losses resulting from accidents, natural disasters, lawsuits, and other risks.

Conducting an annual insurance review can help ensure that you have the right insurance for your company’s needs. Start by asking these questions.

How Much Insurance Does My Business Need?

It’s likely that you already have commercial property and general liability insurance coverage in place. You need to determine if your coverage is sufficient, especially if there have been changes in your business’s operations. You might need to increase your coverage if, for example, you have upgraded or added new equipment or if you have expanded your physical footprint.

You may be able to reduce the premium on a policy by raising the deductible. However, make sure the deductible isn’t more than the business can afford to pay.

Are There Gaps in Coverage?

As you review your policies, determine if there are any coverage gaps. The world changes, and so do the areas of potential vulnerability for businesses. For instance, employee lawsuits alleging sexual harassment, racial or age-related discrimination, and retaliation are more common now than in the past. If you don’t already have it, consider buying employment practices liability insurance that provides protection against such lawsuits.

In addition, cybercrimes that involve ransomware, the theft of confidential data, or hacking into a business’s bank accounts are issues of real concern. Cyber insurance can protect your business against significant financial losses if, despite your best efforts, your systems become compromised and criminals manage to access them.

Should We Have Key Person Life Insurance?

Envision how your business would cope if you, a partner, or a key senior manager were to die suddenly. What impact would it have on the continued viability of your business? Key person life insurance can provide a financial cushion to help a business in such a situation.

The way key person life insurance works is fairly straightforward. Typically, the business buys the policy, pays the premiums, and is the beneficiary. The policy payout can be used for a variety of business purposes. For instance, it could be used to compensate for lost sales and interrupted cash flow or to pay off debts.

A financial professional can explain in more detail what to look for when reviewing your company’s insurance coverage and may have suggestions about ways to provide even greater protection for your business.

Starting Your Own Business: The Essentials for New Entrepreneurs

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Once you have an idea, starting a business can be very exciting, but also daunting. It is important to map everything out before you start to avoid potential pitfalls down the road. Here is a guide to set up your new business for financial success.

Know Your Market

It is crucial to conduct research on the demographic you are targeting with your business. You should survey these people to determine if your product or service is something that can be of use. Make sure to question your actual target market. Many times, asking family and friends can lead to a falsely optimistic view of the targeted market. 

Before you invest funds in your idea, you should consider doing a SWOT analysis. This stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. Analyzing each of these aspects as if your business were to launch today can help you improve in the long run. Below are some examples to ask yourself in each category:

Strengths

  • What makes our business unique from the competition?
  • What traits/knowledge does our team bring to the table?

Weaknesses

  • What is slowing us down? (labor, technology, etc.)
  • What skills do we lack?

Opportunities

  • Can we market our product/service differently based on a current market need?
  • Can we expand our current services/products to include more?

Threats

  • Are we too similar to our competitors?
  • Are we dependent on a supplier?

Know Your Competitor

Researching your competitors can help in more than one way. You can research your competition to determine how to price your products. Many times, new business owners either under price or over price their products. Knowing what rate your competitors use can allow you to integrate your product to the market at a successful price point.

It is also possible to think of new ideas for your business model once you have seen how much overlap you share with your competitors. If you want your business to stand out, show the gap between your product/service and your competition’s. This can be difficult as you may have to go in a slightly different route for your business plan than you wanted, but it is necessary for the most success. 

Create a Sturdy Business Plan

Whether you need investors or are financing your business by yourself, having a business plan to use as a roadmap for establishing your new business can make the process smoother. A business plan gives anyone analyzing your business, the understanding of your foundation and how you intend to develop your business. Forbes has a great guide for entrepreneurs to create a business plan.

Determine How You Want to Structure Your Business for Taxes

Unfortunately, taxes determine the structure of every business. You should consider the different types of structures and how they each affect your operations.

  • Sole Proprietorship – This type of business structure is available to solo business owners. It means that the company and the owner are considered the same. You would be responsible for all legal and tax issues.
  • LLC – This structure can be owned by one or more people. This limits your personal liability for legal and tax issues, unlike the sole proprietorship.
  • LLP – This structure is similar to an LLC but requires a partnership. It is usually used for services from licensed professionals such as accountants.
  • Corporation – Like an LLC, a Corporation is able to limit your liability as a business owner. There are two types of tax corporations: C-Corps and S-Corps. C-Corps are usually for larger companies while S-Corps are for smaller companies.

Register Your Business

Now it is time to officially register your business. Try to think of a name for your business that you feel confident that you will like long-term. You will have a business name, but oftentimes, businesses use a DBA (Doing Business As). This means that the name that the public recognizes may not be the same as what the business legally filed. Some states may require you to file your DBA.

Unless you are a Sole Proprietorship, you will need to collect a sizable amount of tax documents at the time of registering your business. You will need to select a registered agent to accept legal documents for your business. You will also need to apply for an Employer Identification Number (EIN). This is an easy process you can submit to the IRS.

Figure out Your Finances

The first thing you need to do is open up a business checking account. You should never mix personal and business expenses. Having a separate checking account helps with this distinction. You should pay business expenses and receive income through this account. 

If you have a complicated business model, it is recommended that you hire a bookkeeper. This especially helps if you sell a product. You will need help with balancing your ledger with your inventory. Accounting software can also help with this. QuickBooks is a great resource for small businesses to stay on top of all of their tax requirements.

Funding Your Business

Once you figure out how much it costs your business to run, you need to figure out how to startup your business. Many people fund their own businesses from their savings accounts, personal credit cards, or from friends and family. This is a risky way to fund your business as it might leave you in trouble in your personal life if your business were to go south. There are other external options you can explore to fund your business such as small business loans or grants.

Getting Your Business Online

Now that you have figured out most of your business, it is time to create a website to properly showcase your products/services. Having a website is very important as it will get your business leads if marketed correctly. If you have no experience with website strategy, we suggest outsourcing to a web designer rather than making your own weak website. You will want to optimize your website so it will show up in search engines (SEO). A professional-made website will be able to put you in a good spot for this.

Registering your website on local listings can make a huge difference. Prioritize setting up listings for Google and Yelp. Make sure to add proper information in all of the fields. A good bio and pictures of your business and team can go a long way. 

Social Media is also a great way to market your business. You should think about your audience and the platforms they mainly use to determine your marketing strategy. For example, if you have a younger target audience like Gen Z or Millennials, Instagram will be the best platform you can use. You do not need to have every social media platform to market your business. Being consistent and patient is the best mindset to have at the end of the day.

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Creating a new business takes a good amount of tedious work but can lead to rewarding results. Using this guide can help you start in the right direction for your business. For more questions, contact us today!

How Do You Determine How Much to Pay New Hires?

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Small business owners know that high performers seek out jobs that offer them an opportunity to grow and to develop professionally. Benefits are also important to job seekers. However, salary plays a major role in the decision to accept a job offer. Every owner of a small business struggles with the question of how much to pay a new hire.

As a small business owner, you understand that applicable wage and hour laws are an important factor in that decision. But beyond these legally mandated requirements, what else should you look at when trying to figure out a compensation rate that is fair and competitive? Here are some issues that you should review.

Education and Experience Requirements

It’s a given that jobs that require a specialized set of skills, long experience, or extensive educational background will be harder to fill than jobs that require only very general skills. Employees with in-demand skills expect a premium salary. If you find a likely candidate for an important position within your company, you may want to determine what others in your industry and in your location are paying for that type of job before you make that prospective employee an offer. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) website is a good source for information on employment and wage statistics for various occupations throughout the country. BLS data is broken down into occupational types as well as various subcategories within that occupation.

The Nature of Your Industry

Certain industries, such as engineering and health care, typically pay employees more in wages and benefits than other low-paying industries, such as hospitality and retail. However, you may have to consider paying above-market wages and benefits if the job you want to fill is critical to the profitability of your business. That could be particularly necessary if your business is located in a region where the cost of living is higher than the national average.

Supply and Demand Issues

If you are located in a region where labor is plentiful, you may be able to pay the going rate for the workers you need. However, if the talent you need for your business is in short supply, you may have to get into a bidding war with other employers in your region.

The Candidate’s Value to Your Business

Ask yourself: What value will the job candidate bring to your business? How much revenue can you expect the candidate to generate in the first 12 months? What skills do they possess that can help move your business forward? You want to come up with an approximate salary that you can justify, one that aligns with your expectations of the candidate’s potential contributions to your business.

What Does the Job Candidate Expect?

Take the time to understand why a particular candidate is interested in working for your business. During the interview process, try to determine what it is that drives them: more responsibility, a salary increase, or a career path towards management. Their answers can help you formulate an offer that is acceptable to both sides. Clarify what their expectations are in terms of benefits and how important benefits are in their final decision about whom to work for. Many candidates who prioritize working remotely part-time or a solid health insurance package may be willing to take a smaller paycheck in return for the benefits they truly want.

The reality is that finding the right candidate for a critical job at a salary you can live with is tough. Your financial professional can help run some numbers so that you can have a better idea of what you can afford to pay an employee who will be a valuable asset to your organization.