5 horrors of a young entrepreneur that are actually easy to deal with

A normal entrepreneur thinks about this last, because jurisprudence and taxes are not the first priority of business. But ignorance of the laws does not absolve from responsibility. What are the risks and how to mitigate them - we figure it out together with the founders of the auditing company A. White & G. Hedges Audit Rafail Baru and Alla Milyutina.

1. Attention of law enforcement agencies

video contract: Attention of law enforcement agencies

Most of all, entrepreneurs are afraid of attention from the law enforcement agencies, caused by faulty business practices at the initial stage. It was once almost the norm to have unscrupulous counterparties - so-called fly-by-night firms among suppliers and contractors. Now the tax authorities can punish for doing business with such companies over the past three years, and law enforcement officers - for a much longer period.

At the start of a business, entrepreneurs often sign contracts without reading - if only the money is paid. And the inspection bodies then ask them: “Where did you meet? How did you communicate? Where was the contract signed? Entrepreneurs are scared to go for interrogation, scared that they will come to the office with a search, take away documents and equipment, and paralyze their work.

Many entrepreneurs are in no hurry to invest money and time in the safety of their business until it concerns them. But it's better to be prepared in advance: find a lawyer, learn your rights and learn how to behave in such situations. You can also prepare employees for the visits of law enforcement agencies.

This can happen even if you are running an honest business and abiding by the laws: small businesses do not always have the time and resources to thoroughly vet suppliers. This problem can be solved using the "" application. This is a new way to close deals using your smartphone. It records who entered into the contract, saves scans of company documents and a video of the person who announces the terms of the transaction. With such evidence, it is much easier to communicate with the inspection authorities.

2. Document flow

Rafail Baru Founder of A. White & G. Hedges Audit

It often happens that the initial agreement between two entrepreneurs does not correspond to the agreement that was signed as a result. The contracts themselves are sent by mail and are not returned, the acts on the provision of services are not signed, the documents are lost.

It is even worse when entrepreneurs come to an agreement among themselves and do not fix the terms of the deal on paper. But no friendship or long-term partnership can guarantee the absence of problems if the deal is not formalized by an agreement. Therefore, in recent years, we have had a lot of litigation, where the evidence was emails, messages in instant messengers, SMS and so on.

It will help to remove some of the risks in the workflow. It replaces contracts on paper, makes paperwork easier and faster, and increases business security without paying for the services of a lawyer. With a video agreement, you can go to court: it is accepted by the Civil Procedure Code of the Russian Federation. Article 55. Evidence. as evidence.

How video contract works

You can conclude an agreement in video format using the mobile application "". It's simple: choose the type of document and speak the agreements on the smartphone camera, reading the text from the screen. Your partner does the same. Thanks to the application, you do not need to hire a lawyer or understand the legal intricacies yourself.

The application contains only those contracts that can be concluded in video format. The program prompts you what fields you need to fill in, what documents to check and without what conditions of the contract it will be invalid. For example, some types of contracts are subject to mandatory state registration and require a paper version - the application will warn you about this.

The record is stored on a secure server: you can request a copy of it, delete it (with the consent of both parties), order a written version of the document or representation in court. The cost of keeping the contract is 49 rubles per month.

A video contract is also useful in the execution of complex transactions: a record of agreements can be sent to a lawyer as a technical assignment for the preparation of a familiar contract on paper. But this is only part of the workflow. For example, when concluding a video lease agreement, you can immediately record the state of the room and furniture on video, but you still have to draw up and store an act every month.

3. Bureaucracy

Without experience, it is difficult to understand and prepare all the documents for the inspection authorities. You need to submit a tax return, pay taxes and fees. You can simplify the task by using online services for entrepreneurs. For this, there are electronic accounting offices, banks for entrepreneurs and tax calendars.

Rafail Baru Founder of A. White & G. Hedges Audit

Of course, at the start, entrepreneurs are not able to comply with everything. The state understands this, therefore, for minor violations it often does not punish, but gives an opportunity to get back on its feet. We can say that the rule still works for novice entrepreneurs: "The severity of Russian laws is compensated by the non-binding nature of their implementation."

4. Taxes

Taxes and the instability of tax legislation are some of the main business horrors in Russia. It is especially difficult for those who have just started their own business. You need to choose a suitable taxation system, report to the tax office, pay employee fees. Violations and delays are threatened with serious fines and checks.

Alla Milyutina

Fortunately, the tax office has actually stopped punishing sloppiness. For example, for the lack of information in the invoice or the original of the contract. It is precisely for deliberate tax evasion and failure to exercise due diligence when choosing a contractor is punished. Another question is that any entrepreneur believes that he is paying unfairly high taxes. Big companies groan about VAT and income taxes. Entrepreneurs on a simplified taxation system want to pay a patent and swear that the patent limit is only 60 million rubles a year. It always seems like you can pay less taxes.

As a result, entrepreneurs - sometimes deliberately, sometimes unknowingly - take risks that can rob them of everything overnight. We packed the solution to this problem into a practical course "". In two days, businessmen will be taught how to create business structures that allow them to optimize taxes, not worry about tax risks and focus on business growth."

5. Unreliable counterparties

Video contract: Unreliable counterparties

Among the counterparties, there are scammers, fly-by-night firms and bankrupt companies. They disappear with upfront payments, defaulting, and cash out. If it turns out that you poorly checked the counterparty who disappeared with the money, you may be charged additional tax, denied a tax deduction or a reduced tax rate. If you have not paid taxes, a tax audit will come.

Rafail Baru Founder of A. White & G. Hedges Audit

Care must be taken when choosing partners. There is a standard package of documents that the company requests before concluding a contract with a supplier. Someone is limited to statutory documents and the director's passport, and someone asks for a bank-certified signature card, balance sheet and staffing table. But it happens that unscrupulous suppliers provide all these documents.

In such a situation, "" will allow the company to at least avoid criminal liability for deliberate tax evasion - you will have a video with the terms of the transaction and copies of the supplier's documents.

To conclude a deal in the "Video Agreement", the parties enter their data and upload documents: passport, TIN certificate, OGRN, OGRNIP, depending on the role. This scares off scammers and reduces the likelihood that the partner will be unreliable.

Video Contract is a convenient and reliable alternative to paper contracts. It removes some of the entrepreneurial risks and protects against unscrupulous partners. If you still have doubts and questions about the application, you can contact the author of the project, Rafail Baru, in the application or in person by calling the company.