Despite spending over two decades as a court lawyer, I still find it shocking that most business owners do not bother to take any form precaution to prevent or reduce the risk of personal exposure to bankruptcy.

Here are some simple steps that every business owner should start taking (if they have not done so already):

1. Don’t sign legal documents blindly.

We have met many clients who blindly sign legal documents such as bank loans, security documents and guarantees. When asked to explain this behaviour, their responses tend to be along the lines of: “these are standard terms” and “small businesses have little bargaining power with banks”.

Wrong!

There are more than 200 banks and financial institutions in Singapore. There is also a variety of financial instruments besides the traditional methods of grants, loans and investment that you can utilise – contact us if you’re interested to find out more.

While it may not be possible to alter the terms and offer given by banks, you have the power to walk away and find alternative financial service providers. If you must sign on the offer, at the very least, you should understand the scope or extent of the risks.

Create a solid foundation by getting a legal opinion on how to structure your business in order to mitigate the above risks.

2. Stop relying solely on “guanxi”.

Asian business typically rely on “guanxi” (关系) and may even prioritise it above the law.

Guanxi will not protect you when an unhappy customer, employee, partner or investor lodge a complaint against the business owners in the Courts. Ultimately, it is the law that will determine whether you will be personally liable. You cannot escape or hope to escape the law simply by having personal relationships.

Good corporate governance dictates that the business owner must create a clear division between their personal interests and their companies’ interests.

When it comes to the companies’ business and interests, you should engage lawyers to draft or review the agreements. If the business owners draft and review their own agreements, they may unwittingly expose themselves to negligence personally.