Shirtsleeve Accountant

I hear on the radio more and more these days, as one reporter is winding up an interview with another, the interviewer thanks the interviewee for the interview and then, instead of accepting the thanks by saying: “You’re welcome or it was my pleasure,” the interviewee thanks the interviewer. I guess for the life affirming chance of being an interviewee. When this happens, I mean, when someone thanks a thank you, well, it just leaves me cold.

Ross, a friend, and life coach-in-training, just called to say that he will be submitting my case study to his superiors next week for final review and he wanted to know if his (pro bono) coaching was to any benefit. I told him once that our discussions over the last several months did make me stop and seriously address a long held, but un-acted upon idea of a career change.

This semester I am teaching a class titled: Financial Controls for Entrepreneurs. As part of my lecture material I’ve handed out a list of basic controls a small entrepreneur might wish to consider. Some of the controls can only happen as staff is added.

1. The owner should sign all checks.
2. Bank statements with cleared checks—showing endorsements, should be mailed to the owner’s attention. The owner should, among other things, look at the endorsement, i.e., is there anything fishy about it?
   

With all the lay offs and the resulting scrambling for new positions, soon or later, a job seeker will likely be contacted by a placement agency that has a job to fill. Here are a few things I might ask the agency:

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