continued >
• Creating a master list of pass-
words – There’s pretty much a
password-protected program for
everything today. According to a
2017 report from LastPass, the
average business user has 191
passwords. To prevent any issues
in accessing the tools and pro-
grams your business uses, cre-
ate a master list of passwords. It
should go without saying, but you
should make sure this document
is secure.
• Enabling shared email access
– If an employee is unexpectedly
out of the office for an unknown
period of time, consider sharing
that individual’s email account
with their supervisor. Having
shared email access will ensure
that emails don’t go unanswered,
effectively preventing customers
from going unserved.
• Outsourcing critical business
units – If you’re a small busi-
ness with only a few employees,
perhaps outsourcing critical busi-
ness functions, such as payroll
or accounting, may lighten your
load a bit and provide peace of
mind concerning issues related
to missed deadlines, paying
penalties, etc.
You’re Responsible
Are There
Enough
Hours In
Your Day?
At the end of the day, as the busi-
ness owner, it’s your responsibility
to know what your employees are
doing. Sure, you need to be able to
delegate various responsibilities so
that you can work on growing your
business; but at the end of the day,
the onus is on you to ensure all areas
of your business are covered in the
event of a crisis.
If this is a new concept to you or if
it seems too overwhelming to tackle
on your own, reach out to me or to
your Rea contact to figure out what
you need to do to prepare for the un-
expected.
Create More Time
With Client Advisory
By Susan Kornatowski,
CPA, JD, manager,
[email protected]
(Cleveland office)
Services Technology
The Small Business Corner series is designed to address challenges and consid-
erations regularly faced by owners of small- to mid-sized businesses. Check out
past Small Business Corner articles at www.reacpa.com/small-business-corner.
4
By Heather McNichols,
director of accounting services,
[email protected]
(New Philadelphia office)