Many entrepreneurs start out as sole proprietors, that is, individuals who begin a business that is solely owned by them, claimed on their personal income tax. It's an excellent way to start a business. As business builds, the sole proprietor can determine when it makes sense to change corporate form, add additional staff, take on outside investment.

You have just received a large quantity order for one item that a customer wants sent overnight. You note that the billing address is not the same as the delivery address and that the consumer has a free e-mail account. It's one of the largest orders you've seen in a long time and you get right to the task of shipping it out. Wait a minute, not so fast. You may want to do a few things to protect yourself.

In this section, we will examine 10 ways in which you can protect your business against dishonest consumers. Above all, retailers must use common sense to guard against being ripped off. Look for the warning signs as discussed in the first part of this article and utilize the following strategies to ferret out potential perpetrators.

No matter what size your company may be, you need to develop a clearly articulated security policy for your employees to follow at all times. More than 40% of UK businesses, some of which are very large, do not have such a policy. Without a written document devoted specifically to Information Technology security, you run the risk of engaging in haphazard practices that can jeopardise your company's viability.

There's good news for retailers: credit card losses due to fraud are down by 13%. Many attribute this to the use of Chip and Pin technology, which requires that a cardholder enter a pin number when purchasing items at a store. But there is also bad news.