Risk-management Archives - Unconventional Business Network

Be Faithful

Chris Caiah2026-08-25T23:52:05-05:00August 31st, 2026|Tags: 1 Corinthians 4, Debt Management, Risk-management|

According to the Wall Street Journal, Brian McClain, a Kentucky rancher, ran a Ponzi scheme that cost investors and bankers $170 million. The fraud could have been caught many years earlier. Lending on livestock, done properly, requires periodic livestock inspections. Rabo AgriFinance was McClain’s primary lender, but Rabo loaned McClain millions without any cattle inspections for four years. In addition, Rabo’s own files noted that McClain was frequently overdrawn millions of dollars and known ...

Religious Exemptions for AI?

Chris Caiah2026-08-03T04:17:05-05:00August 14th, 2026|Tags: Information Technology, Psalm 20:7, Risk-management|

Employers could wind up in court if they outright dismiss workers who request a faith-based exemption from using AI. In a businessinsider.com article, Ashley Herd, a former McKinsey counsel and head of North American HR, emphasized this newer risk for businesses. According to the article, one Unitarian Universalist has already received a religious exemption from her employer because of her environmental and ethical objections to ...

Business Proverbs: Day 4 – A Pause Before Investing

Mike Willich2022-05-06T22:11:47-05:00May 4th, 2021|Tags: Proverbs 4, Risk-management, Strategic Planning|

Mark was a young entrepreneur trying to build a website business. He had very limited monies to fund his core business, let alone a new venture. Then, someone convinced Mark to buy into an unproven technology. He borrowed money to invest in the product only to discover that his customers were not interested in his new product. His impulsive pursuit ...

The Resilience Factor

Mike Willich2021-01-18T22:36:01-06:00January 22nd, 2021|Tags: Crisis, Planning, Risk-management|

A recent article by McKinsey & Company states, “Although corporate decision makers cannot plan for every potential risk, we examined some ways they can prepare for extraordinary risks, determine which protections are worth the investment, and position themselves for better resiliency.” Business leaders have been tasked to make impossible decisions, choosing between bad and worse. Resilience is the courage to ...

Reopening, Part V: Model Your Cash Flow

Mike Willich2020-06-05T10:31:47-05:00June 5th, 2020|Tags: Crisis, Finance, Risk-management|

In this series, we are looking at what we can learn from entrepreneurs about restarting our businesses post-lockdown. Sadly, many of us don’t know whether our businesses can survive this restart. That is why many startups use bottoms-up financial models to quickly test new scenarios and whether they have enough cash to survive. They make decisions to increase cash, reduce burn ...

Fads and Bubbles

Rick2019-01-02T15:49:55-06:00January 23rd, 2019|Tags: Discernment, Personal Development, Risk-management|

One of the earliest lessons I learned in business was the impact of buying into a fad. In 1981, Rent-a-Wreck determined that offering used cars for rent instead of new cars could be franchised across the country. With the desire to be my own boss and desperate to leave public accounting, used car rentals seemed like a ground floor opportunity ...

Common Mistakes for New Entrepreneurs, Part I

Rick2019-01-02T14:15:45-06:00January 7th, 2019|Tags: Counsel, Finance, Risk-management|

While coaching a young entrepreneur recently, I was reminded of several common mistakes made by new business owners. The first mistake I’ve seen many times is the impact of taxes on a small business. When you collect money from customers, it’s easy to assume it’s all yours. But it’s not all your money! The biggest mistake for many is to ...

Prolonged Prosperity, Part II

Rick2019-01-02T14:08:43-06:00January 3rd, 2019|Tags: Finance, Risk-management, Wise|

When business is booming, it’s tempting to pour your profits back into the business for the sake of expansion. There is a tension, however, in also keeping an eye towards the future. In Genesis 41, Joseph not only translated Pharaoh’s dream, predicting seven years of prosperity to be followed by seven years of famine, he also wisely told the king ...

Prolonged Prosperity, Part 1

Rick2019-01-01T23:47:51-06:00January 2nd, 2019|Tags: Finance, Risk-management, Wise|

As we near the record for the longest economic expansion in US history, many forward-thinking leaders are beginning to prepare accordingly. With almost 10 years of upward momentum it’s easy to begin feeling invincible and not fully understand what may be coming. Recently, I’ve had more conversations with wise leaders who do have experience with recessions. Many of these leaders ...

Too Much Good

Rick2018-12-17T11:04:59-06:00December 18th, 2018|Tags: Finance, Risk-management, Wise|

Whether it’s one large customer or one significant donor, when your revenue comes significantly from one person, your organization faces danger. Real trouble can come if anything goes wrong with that relationship. Another pitfall of having too much dependence upon one customer is the influence they might have. As your revenue becomes dependent upon one customer, you can be pressured ...

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