Once you know what the professionals do in terms of assisting you with your business, you need to do an assessment of what type of help and support you need specifically. Assess your own skills as well as the needs of your business. If you have a strong background in accounting, you obviously don’t need that much assistance from an accountant and perhaps you can save money by doing that work yourself. Be thorough with your assessment of the needs of your business, you need to be informed about the decision to seek the services of whatever professionals, and you need to know what you need versus what they can provide. Cultivating an awareness of your own needs will help you process the suggestions from the professionals so that you can make the best judgments for your own business. Assessing your business needs is the first step. The next step is locations a professional who can assist you.
If you already have an accountant, a lawyer, a banker, or an insurance agent who handles your personal matter, they will very likely be interested in being able to serve your business needs as well. Even if they aren’t interested in handling your business matters you will definitely be able to get a good referral to another professional who will be able to meet your business needs. In this case, it is not necessarily a bad idea to mix business with personal life. You can also seek referrals through your business and personal network, asking business associates, other small business owners, friends, and relatives for referrals to the appropriate professionals. Trade associations, local chambers of commerce and similar organizations can provide referrals to professionals that serve the organization as well, and sometimes may actually provide free or limited professional services. You can also get referrals from professional associations.
For an accountant, try contacting the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), http://www.aicpa.org/.
For an attorney, contact the American Bar Association (ABA), http://www.abanet.org/
For a banker, start with the bank where you have your personal accounts. You can also try contacting the Small Business Administration (SBA), http://www.sba.gov/ because they usually keep track of which banks in your area have the best lending records for small businesses.
With insurance remember that you will probably need several types of business insurance. Having a different insurer for each type of coverage can be more trouble than it is worth, but the problem with having all of your types of insurance with the same insurer can get pricey. Independent insurance brokers are a good alternative, because they can handle all your insurance needs while shopping around for the lowest rates.
When all else fails, look in the Yellow Pages. This way, you can compare the rates and do the research yourself. Usually initial consultations are free for many of these professionals. Be sure to shop around and compare rates, and negotiate whatever fees you may incur in advance.
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