Small Business Pitfalls

If you haven't started a small business yourself, chances are that you know someone who has. While most citizens like to support local, unfortunately it doesn't always pan out for everyone. Today we're discussing two major pitfalls that small businesses face in the first two years.

No matter how well run the company, the first few years are always a learning process. Within that learning process, two of the main focuses should be to keep your focus and process feedback. These two tokens of advice may seem like a given. However, putting them into practice is the tricky part. Let's break it down for you.

Introducing Donnie Hall

Donnie Hall

Risk Management Consultant

We are excited to introduce our newest team member here at The Byers Group, Donnie Hall. He is coming on board as our risk management consultant. 

Interview

Last week we introduced our newest employee, Bethany Wilcutt. In that post, we shared all of the certifications she brings to The Byers Law Firm. Our Marketing Manager, Kathryn, had the opportunity to sit down with Bethany this past week to ask a few in depth questions about her career path. We hope you enjoy this insight into our workplace!

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1. How is practicing law in Kentucky different than California?

I think I am still learning the differences, but California practice is so full of codified rules, whereas Kentucky seems to be free from the unnecessary fluff.  In California, they seemed to make rules just for their rules, and it (at times) becomes overly complicated. 

2. What are you most looking forward to about practicing at The Byers Law Firm?

I am excited about the prospect of broadening the scope of my legal practice.  I have previously worked in an area requiring me to show compassion to victims of crime, I look forward to channeling that sensitivity to help people who are going through trying times in other legal aspects.

3. Have you always wanted to be an attorney?

I decided to become an attorney my sophomore year of college.  Before that, I thought I wanted to be a physical therapist.  Once I found the political science classes, I became passionate about the law.  I’ve never looked back.

4. What organizations were you involved in when you lived in California?

I was a member of the SART Team(“Sexual Assault Response Team”) for our county while in California.  The SART team included Rape Crisis counselors, Victim Advocates, prosecutors, and law enforcement officers, sexual assault nurses, and child interviewers.  The SART was a means to ensure that all the resources and aspects of our response to a victim of sexual assault was focused on the victim. 

I also served on the Child Death Review Committee.  This was a committee with prosecutors, law enforcement, the coroner’s office, and child welfare services would come together to review every single death of a person under the age of 18.

Each of the organizations helped me see that my career as an attorney can be used to benefit other and better the community as a whole.  I feel most fulfilled professionally when I am helping others on a personal level.

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Welcome to Kentucky, Bethany! Paducah is so lucky to have you.

Risk Management 101: Monitor/Review

This is the fourth and final post in our series about risk management here at The Byers Group. By the end of this post, we will have made it through the entire risk management process. The risks have been identified, mitigated, and now we will monitor said risks.

Welcome Bethany Wilcutt

Bethany Mary Willcutt

The Byers Law firm welcomes attorney Bethany Willcutt to its practice.

Bethany was raised in Benton, Kentucky and graduated from Marshall County High School. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree from Oklahoma Christian University in 2002 with a degree in Government and Legal Studies. She graduated from The University of Memphis Law School in 2005. While at The University of Memphis, Bethany served on the editorial board of law review and was an active participant in Mock Trial and Moot Court.

Risk Management 101: Mitigate

This week we're continuing the risk management process by discussing mitigation. In the last few weeks, The Byers Group has laid out the ground work for identifying and assessing risks for a company. After we have established what the risks are, we lay out a process and procedure for how to handle such situations. This leads in to our mitigation process.

Risk Management 101: Identify and Assess Risk

A couple of weeks ago, we started to dive into the risk management process. If you missed the first post, you can catch it here! Now that we've laid out the groundwork, it's time to dive deeper.

It is important that the team evaluating the possible risks is aware of where these take root. Where do they come from? Risks can come from various different outlets.