Stop doing that!!!!

Probably the thing I say most often to my children!

And the dog!

And possibly some members of my football team!!!!

But, if someone is doing something wrong, should they carry on doing it if they think they won’t get caught?

I was at a networking event a while back, where I made an offer to review people’s websites for free, to see if they are legally compliant.

A very talented young man approached me afterwards and said he didn’t understand why I bothered – he realised it was a way to introduce myself to people, but he didn’t understand why anyone would take me up on the offer. So your website or company isn’t compliant, so what?

I was happy to give him four good reasons why he was wrong.

1. It’s unprofessional. The information you should put on your website enables people to know who they are considering doing business with and, if necessary, checking you out at places like Companies House. Unless you have something to hide, it is sloppy to fail to provide this information.

2. It’s damages your credibility. If you are a company director you have certain duties. Making sure your company is legally compliant is one of them. If you were in dispute with a client of mine I would have great fun in cross-examining you on your director’s duties and pointing to the failings in your website.

3. It is short-sighted. At some stage, you might want to sell your business or raise finance. Who is going to want to invest in you or buy you if you can’t even get the basics right? I have acted on company sale/purchases where a lack of regulatory compliance (poor website, lack of employment contracts etc.) significantly reduced the value of the business.

4. It could be selfish. It might not be you wanting to run or sell the business. It might be your next of kin if you’re not around. You should be leaving them with a valuable asset to sell, not a load of mistakes to correct.

Not convinced. Ok, look at it from a different perspective. Would you turn up at a networking event dressed like a tramp? No! Why not? Because people would be unlikely to do business with you. But your change in appearance doesn’t affect your ability to do your job – you are still a great solicitor/accountant/IFA etc whether you are dressed well or badly. The reality is that your appearance does matter because people are influenced by what they see, by the effort you have made, because it says something about you.

So in the same way that you take your personal appearance seriously, you should take compliance seriously too. I do, which is why the offer of the free view is still open.

Now take your feet off the furniture, go and tidy up your bedroom and for goodness sake take the rubbish out!

Kleyman & Co Solicitors. The full-service law firm. Talk to the hand!