The Rea Report Summer 2015 | Page 2

Getting By With A Little Help From Your Friends By Lee Beall, CPA, CEO (Dublin office) STAY PRESENT IN YOUR BUSINESS WITH THE HELP OF ADVISORS I t’s lonely at the top. And in the middle. And at the bottom. Wherever you are, one thing’s for sure – when you own a small business, it’s easy to feel like you’re on an island. Even if your team is the best of the best, you’re putting your business at risk if you try to go it alone. Ask any great business owner how they’ve gotten out of a jam – or avoided one altogether – and most will tell you that they got by with a little help from their friends. In other words, the relationships they’ve built with peers and advisors have helped them see red flags from a mile away and uncover innovative solutions. 2 When you’re so deeply involved with the daily operations of your business, you can lose sight of the big picture. Between all the hats you wear, you might be spread pretty thin. But there’s good news. A little bit of perspective from the outside can actually help you manage your business better. Three Steps To Finding The Perfect Advisors Evaluate where your company lacks personnel or expertise. These are often areas that pose the greatest risk to your business, as these shortcomings leave you vulnerable to the competition. Several common needs beyond legal, By building an army of watchdogs and tax and accounting include human refans of your business – in the forms of source management, benefit advisors and peers – you’ll have ac- administration, sales force cess to a group of experts who can management, marketing give you help or advice when you’re and strategic planning. feeling uncertain. You could also learn a continued on page 12