Small-business advice: Renewal notices can be scams

Dear Karen: I get many notices telling me to renew my business documents. Are these scams?

Answer: This is a common trick targeting small businesses that scammers hope are too busy or disorganized to keep track of renewals. Phishing schemes, which involve official-looking letters or e-mails, may claim that you owe money, are getting a refund or are about to be audited.

Never send money or your financial account numbers in response to any of these solicitations. Pay your bills through official channels; you do not need to hire anyone to do it for you. And look at the fine print: If something says, “This is not an official government document,” toss it.

Get feedback in exit interviews

Dear Karen: How can we keep our employees from leaving for jobs at bigger companies?

Answer: Small businesses can’t afford to lose their best employees as the economy improves. Schedule exit interviews with departing employees and use the knowledge you get to improve retention rates.

“Departing employees are usually willing to share this knowledge, to help a successor or to brief a management team, if only the organization would simply ask them politely to do so,” said Tony McKinnon, president of MRINetwork, a global recruiting firm. Ask why your employees are leaving, what could have been done to keep them and how their contacts and expertise can best be passed on to their successors.

Small-business questions? E-mail Karen at smallbiz@latimes.com