The UK Office of Fair Trading has a new website dedicated to raising awareness on scams in business. This is helpful, but falls far too short.
The truth is legitimate business can just as much a commercial minefield as any scam, instead of instant financial loss with no opportunity to reimbursement, instead you may have years of losses or poor performance by using an inefficient supplier or promoting the wrong products and services.
Few managers will admit such failings, but most manager experience them. These ‘sagas’ of poor performance are traditionally covered up by a ‘blame’ or ‘scapegoat’ culture which acts as a convenient smokescreen diverting the audit and responsibility to others.
External advice is a great way to avoid such errors, but where can SME owner managers and senior business managers find such expertise? One such resource is Business Service Finder - a new online resource to request advice and assistance from business support professionals.