How to Handle Stress When You’re the Boss

Entrepreneurs report rates of depression and stress that are significantly higher than those of other people. According to the Gallup Wellbeing index, 45% of entrepreneurs report being stressed. Thirty percent of entrepreneurs report being depressed, compared to only 15% of the general population. It’s important that business owners and CEOs be aware of the risks … Read more

When a Client Dies Owing You Money

It’s hard to imagine anything more awkward than asking about an unpaid debt after someone dies, but just because it’s awkward doesn’t mean you can avoid it. What happens to an individual or company owner’s debt after they die? It depends. If an individual dies owing money, generally, their estate is responsible for paying any … Read more

What Collection Agents Know About Hiring

If you Google “hiring negotiation” you’ll see hundreds of articles about how to negotiate a higher salary when given a job offer.  You’ll also get a lot of articles from the employer’s point of view about how to negotiate a lower salary.  But what so many of these articles overlook is that the negotiations involved … Read more

The Four Agreements and Collection Negotiations

The book The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz was published in 1997.  The book has been translated into over 40 languages and has sold over 7 million copies in the United States alone. Clearly, it hits a nerve for some people.  Although the book is meant to help with personal growth and relationships, I’ve … Read more

Late Fees: The Hows and Whys of Charging Them

We’ve all been there.  You miss a payment on a credit card or utility bill and find yourself paying not just the amount due, but the amount due, plus a late fee.  In B2B relationships charging a late fee and/or, a finance charge, is also common practice. If you aren’t already charging your clients for … Read more

Don’t Try to Improve Weaknesses, Instead Focus on Strengths

If you’re the owner or CEO of a company, you’re probably familiar with what happens when you have a struggling employee. You sit down with the struggling employee and assess what they’re doing wrong. You ask them to improve and then, six or eight weeks later you assess their improvements. Sometimes things get better, sometimes … Read more

The Government Shutdown and Payment Problems

As we’re writing this, the longest ever U.S. Federal Government shutdown just ended, albeit perhaps only temporarily. Whatever your political views, there are clearly economic costs to both businesses and individuals. Some of those costs are far reaching. Even if none of your clients are federal employees or agencies, you may still feel the burn … Read more

The 5 Cs and B2B Lending

Anytime you work for a company or ship a product before getting paid, you are extending credit to that company. That’s why, just like any lender, before you begin working with a new client or company you should review the 5 Cs of Credit. Character For individuals applying for a loan, “character” generally refers to … Read more

Chinese Business Delegation Learns About U.S. Collections

For 20 years, the United States – China Exchange Council (USCEC) has hosted delegate exchanges between the U.S. and China for the purposes of education, commerce, and friendship. Because of his experience with multiple industries and his extensive knowledge of both U.S. and international commercial collections, Dean Kaplan was recently asked to speak to a … Read more

Fifth Annual $1,000 Scholarship Awarded by The Kaplan Group

  The Kaplan Group is very excited to announce that Rebecca Strasser is this year’s $1,000 scholarship winner!  Rebecca is beginning her first year as an MBA candidate at Gonzaga University.  Rebecca was one of over 100 scholarship applicants many of whom submitted excellent responses to our essay prompts. With such stiff competition, Rebecca should be … Read more

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