Many times when LPSI is called in to help a client, we find that the Owner or Manager has let a problem get so far out of control that it’s shocking to us how much they have allowed themselves to lose– be it from shoplifting, employee theft, vendor fraud, inventory control or other loss prevention areas. Even though they knew it was going on, they may have made some halfhearted attempts to “deal with it”… but they really did nothing until their situation pushed the company into severe financial difficulty.
All of that money went down the drain. In fact, dealing with problems like employee theft and shoplifting should be simple, easy and painless. What I see with most management teams or individuals is a disconnect between their normal business decision processes and an LP issue. For some reason, they tend to think LP is very complicated and fraught with legal mines. Yes, of course, we must keep criminal and civil laws in mind. But remember, we are talking about theft, truly the oldest profession in the world. Laws in this area are well defined and fairly straight forward. If you take something that is not yours, it is a crime!
Now, back to the real problem. Why does an otherwise successful, intelligent business person who can work their way through a huge variety of business problems suddenly go completely blank on what essentially is just another business issue that must be managed? They deal with sales, customer service, employment issues, insurance, taxes, permits, licenses, cash flow, banking, etc.– on a daily basis! The problem continues to get worse, however, because this same competent, capable, intelligent individual makes the mistake of ignoring the problem and hoping it will go away. OMG! What are they thinking? The only thing that will go away is your inventory and your money! If you own a grocery store and a freezer unit starts making a strange noise, do you simply ignore it? No, you get an employee or vendor on it, NOW. Because you know that the inventory in that freezer is worth thousands of dollars in cost, sales, labor and handling!
Do not prepare to lose it, prepare to save it. For example, like most business owners, I am not a CPA. I have a CPA that handles these things. That is what he is trained for, and that’s what he is good at. I call him, he fixes the problem. Even though our minds often tell us differently, we have to remember that we are not experts in everything. We all need help from time to time– even if it is simply advice.
My CPA is on speed dial. My phone number for your LP speed dial is 1-770-426-0547.