[Nebraska]

For those of you out there that have grown a business from scratch to a point where the need, or rather you felt the need, exists to bring on an Office Manager.

At what point did you bring this type of individual on into your organization?

What indicators did you have that this was correct move to propel you towards the next stage of growth?

I know that the revenue and profit is there....I have an issue of sharing bank account balances, pricing, billing, customer interaction, etc... I thought giving up field work was tough...

I am at a point where I am personally maxed out. Completely maxed out.

[Nebraska]

I don't normally reply to myself but personally I would be most happy with a strictly management role with a heavy emphasis on sales...

[GLAN]

If you feel "Maxed Out" and see a need to do something about it.....Then by all means do something. There can come a point where not reacting to the needs of the business can become a deterant in moving forward. All you have to do is try it, don't expect the first person you hire for the office to be the "one" You may have to go through a couple people. You won't know the potential if you don't try it.


I was in a similar situation years ago....fortunately my father had recently retired so he slid into that position. OK, not the best having a very opinionated father running the office, but still it we made it work. Now today. My business is not the same as it was then, it's been downsized and the only time I get over whelmed is in the spring, such as now.

I am actualy sitting here at GTX............where I need to complete working deposits for checks I have had sitting on my desk 2 weeks.

[Noël]

Wow, Monroe Porter has SO much to say on this subject! He thinks an office manager is crucial to growth and to keeping you focused on what you need to do running your business. One of his main points is not to scrimp on this. Make sure the person is well qualified and well paid. It's one of the most important positions in your company.

He would tell you more ... but he's in China right now doing a series of seminars for a supplier.

Regarding your concern with potential embezzlement, I have a contractor who went through this and learned some hard lessons. PM me your e-mail and address and I'll get that article to you. I also have somewhere a story from a specialist about the rules and boundaries to set up with your manager to prevent embezzlement. It will take a bit to dig that out, but I'll try to send that to you as well.

Good luck!

[prapoza]

My accountants advice for preventing embezzlement. "The owner is the only one who opens bank and credit card statements." Just review them and let the office staff reconcile them. If there is someone stealing it'll show up in the bank statements or credit card statements.

[GLAN]

Noel....

Maybe a reprint of those articles may not be a bad idea. Will be looking for them in future editions.

[GLAN]

Embesselement?

Simple........You are the only signature on checks

If you are handing out company credit cards? Can I have one?
Then you have to look over statements to sign off on the charges.

Cash payments.......I would think you would be the only one collecting cash. If so you write an invoice so that the office person enters it......And if it is to be deposited.......you then write the slip indicating cash and let the office people follow through with checks......

Having an office person does not obsolve you of all responsibilities, just most of them.

As long as you are looking over what they do and check on things before signing off/OK-ing them. It would be hard for someone to lift funds........Office stuff is another thing......You would expect note pads, legal pads, pens and so on going home with them.

[Stonehenge]

You want the articles, we'll give you the articles. Thanks to Noël for sending these over. Hope they save someone some heartache down the road. Both articles are in PDF format.

Protect yourself from embezzlement

Profile of an Indiana landscape contractor who had to face the issue of employee embezzlement

[Nebraska]

Noel write re: Porter..

He thinks an office manager is crucial to growth and to keeping you focused on what you need to do running your business.

That makes complete sense yet is easier to say as an outsider than to implement and do as an insider.

Here's were I am at and what I'm tired of doing:
Mundane phone calls

Phone calls

Phone calls

Scheduling of maintenance (although very automated it's boring)

Accounts Payable

Accounts Receivable

Typing letters

Payroll

Payroll tax reporting

Stamping Monthly Invoices for Maintenance

Folding Monthly Invoices for Maintenance
(these last two have been farmed out to the children who I pay)

Entering new maintenance customers into the system

Answering and solving dailly problems / issues with the crews

Phone calls from 5:30p - 7:45a.... the mere sound of the ringer causes the hair on my neck to stand up...

I am the AR department, HR department, AP department, Purchasing department, Marketing department, Sales department, Customer service department, Operations Manager, Repairman advisor, sheduler, billing manager, Internet Web Site Manager, Payroll department, strategic planner.....

[AZTLANLC]

Sounds like you first need an accountant, I would use an office manager for different chores.

[Stonehenge]

Originally posted by Nebraska
Answering and solving dailly problems / issues with the crews

This one can't be solved by an office mgr, IMHO.

Phone calls from 5:30p - 7:45a.... the mere sound of the ringer causes the hair on my neck to stand up...

Turn off the ringer from 5:30pm-7:45am. No kidding.

[Mac]

Nebraska, sounds like you are the CEO, Chief Everything Officer.

Glan, curbing embezelment is much easier said then done. Believe it or not, it is possible to personally get funds from a check written to your employer without being authorized to do so. Theifs will find a way to take what they want. Its your job to make it as painful to take and easy to recognize. Not an easy task.

[cutntrim]

Do you do your own taxes? Do you keep your own books? An accountant or accountant/bookeeper might be of help if you don't. Like a lot of guys, I use QB and although I'm not a wizard at it, I try to enter in as much info as I can. Quarterly I have a bookeeper complete any missing data entry and track GST payments (Canadian Federal Tax) that I'll need to make for that quarter. Annually the whole package is reviewed by my accountant and he does my (and my wife's) taxes.

If I'm not in the field all day I'll clear phone messages periodically from the office line. Otherwise, I let them leave a message and I clear them in the evening when I get home. After they're cleared, I just turn the ringer off and ignore any new calls until the next day.

I pretty much have my maintenance list in place prior to the season beginning and tweak it as customers come and go in the spring.

My residential customers pay a flat monthly fee and I ask for a series of post-dated cheques due the first of each month. That greatly reduces the amount of invoicing required, since it's only the commercial accounts that need to have one sent out. They're also on flat monthly plans, so I'm basically just changing the dates as far as invoicing them goes.

I agree with Jeff in that managing crew issues is a job for you (or a trusted foreman), and not an office manager. I only run two trucks in the summer, and I'm in one of them so it's almost a non-issue for me.

I've become accustomed to the insane schedule during the transition from winter-to-spring and from fall-to-winter, it just comes with the territory.

Don't know if any of this helps in your situation, but good luck anyhow.

[Nebraska]

I guess my point of the rambling list is they are all easy...mundane tasks that I am at the point whereby I need to hire a lot of them out. They are pulling from the focus of my ability in continuing to grow the business.

I have no problem advising crews on certain issues. Each crew leader has been given full reign (freedom) to make any necessary daily decisions to get their particular job done, yet are held very accountable for the results.

The phone......it's a catch 22! By all means we want it to ring.... but it's almost as if folks have become accustomed to a 24/7 type mentality that other types of businesses have provided them.?

[Nebraska]

Cutn..

I've become accustomed to the insane schedule during the transition from winter-to-spring and from fall-to-winter, it just comes with the territory.

I seem to never become accustomed to the schedule transition until July and February.....