Blog | Entrepreneurship

The Government is at my door! What do I do?

This frantic question is answered in Garrett Sutton’s new book Run Your Own Corporation. The government may ‘visit’ your business for a number of reasons. IRS issues and OSHA safety inspections are common ones. As well, our government continues to pass thousands of strict liability laws and regulations, which now ensnare more and more unsuspecting business owners every year.

The risk of a government visit keeps going up. And so you need to be prepared. Which is why reading Run Your Own Corporation is imperative for you and your business.

The point here is not to be alarmist but rather realistic. You need to know the risks and be ready for them. This is certainly not to dissuade you from starting a business either. The country needs your help and energy. But to succeed you must be able to navigate government impediments and rise above them. To this end, Run Your Own Corporation clearly discusses IRS audits and OSHA inspections and strict liability government rules.

As many are now aware, the IRS has greatly stepped up the audits of businesses. You have certain rights during such an audit. You also must know there is a certain way to act.

Run Your Own Corporation provides tips and clarity on the audit process and identifies how business owners must present themselves when being interviewed by the IRS.

OSHA, which stands for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, has thousands of agents inspecting business locations for safety violations every day. Their fines can be ruinous. Worse yet, OSHA is now using certain crafty strategies to assess even higher fines on business owners. Run Your Own Corporation puts forth the information you need to know to avoid becoming a victim of the OSHA job killing machine.

Another key point to understand is the unchecked spread of strict liability laws. Under the traditional laws of England and, before that, the Roman Empire, there was a requirement that intent had to be coupled with a wrongful act. If you didn’t intend to break the law you couldn’t be held liable. If you made a mistake, if you had no intent to harm, you weren’t guilty.

But this prudent and ancient doctrine has been forgotten and dismissed by our federal and state governments. Instead, strict liability laws, where if the bad act somehow happens you are guilty, whether you intended it or not, have taken hold. It is much easier for the government to hold you responsible for a strict liability law. They don’t have to prove intent. If it happened, you are guilty.

The defense of not knowing about it and/or not intending for it to happen don’t come into play. You are guilty. Period.

Business owners need to be aware of these pitfalls. Run Your Own Corporation details the traps and shows you how to avoid them. Again, the country needs you to succeed in business despite the challenge of government.

Read Run Your Own Corporation before the government is at your door.