What to Do When Someone Dies Without a WillWhat to Do When Someone Dies Without a Will

About Me

What to Do When Someone Dies Without a Will

Hello, my name is Kerry. Last year my mother died suddenly. When we went through her papers, we discovered she didn't have a will. My mother had been married to another man before she met my father and I had a couple of step brothers. Unfortunately, they turned up on our doorstep and started to demand that we hand over my mother's life savings to them and their family. I contacted a lawyer who specialises in probate law. She talked me through my case and explained how we would defend it in court. Thankfully, the matter was resolved to my satisfaction and I could start to grieve for my mother. I decided to start this blog to help others who have a contested will on their hands.

Three Big Mistakes That Small Business Owners Make When They Are Setting up

5 January 2017
 Categories: Law, Blog

As a small business owner, you may provide the most outstanding level of service, or sell a range of widgets that people simply can't do without. Yet this alone is not going to guarantee your success. If you're going to be able to survive, let alone prosper, you have to ensure that your cash flow is taken care of. What are three of the most critical areas you need to focus on?

Don't Assume Anything

A lot of small business owners get overwhelmed when they're setting up their operation and can sometimes forget about the fundamentals. They may gloss over some of the details, because they assume that customers understand and accept them. This is a big mistake, especially when it comes to your terms of trade.

You are providing services or goods to a customer on credit and you have to outline the conditions very carefully for such a transaction. Get a good solicitor to help you to draft these, which need to be very specific according to your operation. Always get your customers to accept your terms and to sign that they do so, before going ahead. This will make it a lot easier to deal with disputes in the future. In particular, you need to focus on when payment must be made and how that can be handled, together with penalties and interest that will be due in default.

Invoice Now!

Another area that small business owners frequently overlook is invoice generation. This cannot be something that is simply lumped together with administration, to be done at the end of the week when "things are quieter." An invoice has to be generated and sent immediately. They need to be clear and unequivocal. They also need to remind customers where, when and how the payments are to be made. Invest in an automated system, if you feel bogged down by paperwork.

Recovering Debt

When all else fails, your prompt invoices are being ignored and your terms of trade are not working, then you need to have another process in place to deal with debt recovery. Sometimes, all it takes is a friendly but firm phone call or email, but other times you need additional help. In this case, getting a good debt collector on your side is advisable. These experts will have experience in dealing with these sensitive matters and are likely to get your revenues flowing once again quickly.