Using Internet Resources for Your Business

     We recently visited with a business owner that sought our assistance.  As we were visiting about the challenges he faced in his business, he mentioned that he used the internet for much of his “legal” work.  He cited that the internet had lots of forms and documents posted on it that were “adequate and sufficient” for his business.
      Our consultant pointed out that we are NOT lawyers and DO NOT practice law.  However, we recognize when a particular matter is best served by using the services of a competent legal authority.  Our consultant pointed out that the internet material “may be” OK, however, if the business owner did not have a lawyer review the document before he used it, there could be some issues that were unforeseen.
       The internet is a wonderful tool and resource for many matters.  However, there is no substitute for competent, professional advice.  It makes no difference if it is lawyers, accountants, engineers, doctors, consultants, travel agents– all are in the advisory services business.  The internet advice is general and broad– it may apply to any one particular matter, however, more times than not, the question normally has some tangential factors that are not addressed by any internet solution.
        Before one invests any large sum of money on internet tools as substitutes for professional advice– consider the damage that could be done without using a professional.  In most cases, using a professional may appear to be more expensive, however, in the real scheme of matters, using a human professional is almost always cheaper than using some general internet resource.
         Think about this the next time you decide to use an internet resource.  You will most likely find that using a human services provider is cheaper, more efficient and effective.