How to start a small business in Chesterfield

Whether it’s a pet store, a deli or even your own chiropractic practice, I’d wager that most people at some point have thought about starting their own small business.  After all, the entrepreneurial spirit is a driving force of the “American Dream.”

Well, the City of Chesterfield wants to help you realize that dream, so they’ve partnered with the Chesterfield Chamber of Commerce to offer a 10-week course on the Fundamentals of Small Business.

The course is designed to assist new small business owners and those contemplating starting a business by reviewing basic principles of owning and running such an enterprise.  Participants will have a hands-on opportunity to start to develop a business plan or validate an existing one. Other course topics include, utilizing cash as a strategic tool, handling tax and legal obligations, insurance needs, negotiating with customers and suppliers, managing stress, setting business goals, and financial planning.

If that sounds like information that you could use to help get your small business off the ground, then make plans to sign up.  The $170 course begins on Wednesday, September 22 and runs each Wednesday for 10 consecutive weeks from 6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.  To register, or to find out more information, call 636.537.6720, e-mail scantlon@chesterfield.mo.us, or visit www.chesterfield.mo.us.

(Photo Credit: thetrainingcycle)

“Is my medical condition covered under your insurance?”

Whether you like them or not, chances are that in order to land a desirable job, you’re going to have to run through the interview gauntlet.  It’s no fun, but it’s a HUGE part of the weed-out process that companies use when making hiring decisions.

I came across this article on Yahoo.com that gives great tips on what types of questions NOT to ask your potential employer during the interview.  Here’s one of the tips:

“Is [my medical condition] covered under your insurance?”
This is a bad question on two counts. You don’t want to tell a perfect stranger about your medical issues, especially one who’s deciding whether or not to hire you. Ask to see a copy of the company’s benefits booklet when an offer has been extended. This is also a bad question from a judgment standpoint; no department managers and only a tiny percentage of HR people could be expected to know on a condition-by-condition basis what’s covered under the health plan. Anyway, your pre-existing condition won’t be covered under most corporate plans for at least a year.

If you think you can use the rest of the 10 Questions Never to Ask in Job Interview, follow the link and check it out in its entirety.  And if you have any good interview tips of your own, please leave a comment and share.  I’m sure most of us can use all the help we can get.  Good luck with your next interview too!

Chiropractic credit scam…

Just came across this article in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.  I hate when anyone in the medical profession, or any service industry for that matter, abuses their power.  Earning trust from your clients and patrons is such an important key to long-term success…and that goes for anyone from auto mechanics to chiropractors.  If you abuse that to the level that this guy did, you should be stripped from your ability to practice forever!  Just my two cents.

A Lakeville chiropractor’s license was suspended after he misled patients about his services and charged fees to credit cards he took out in their names, according to an order made public by the Board of Chiropractic Examiners in April.

After examining some new patients, Cory Dean Couillard told them that rejecting his treatment plan could lead to cancer, a heart attack or premature death, the report stated.

In August, the attorney general sued him and his company, Express Health P.A., for applying for high-interest credit cards in his patients’ names, often without their consent, and placing large charges on them.

The board ordered Couillard to enroll in an ethics program and pay restitution. After 21 months, he may be eligible to work in a supervised setting.