Fraud-Proof Your Business
Essential Controls for Small Business Protection
Tuesday, September 22
6:00pm - 7:00pm
Main Library
Robeson Pavilion Room A & B
In small businesses, trust is the currency that keeps things running — long-tenured employees, close-knit teams, and personal relationships form the backbone of daily operations. But trust, no matter how well-placed, is not a control system. This workshop confronts a difficult truth: the businesses most vulnerable to fraud, error, and financial loss are often those where everyone trusts everyone else.
We'll explore why small organizations are disproportionately exposed to internal risk, how common schemes exploit the absence of oversight, and what practical, right-sized controls can be put in place without bureaucratizing a business.
Participants will walk away with a concrete toolkit of safeguards that protect the business, reduce temptation, and — perhaps counterintuitively — actually strengthen the trust they're designed to supplement. Because the goal isn't to suspect your people; it's to build a business that doesn't put them in a position where trust alone is the only thing standing between you and a serious loss.
About the presenter: Warner Lin is a Certified Public Accountant with a background that spans financial audit, corporate finance, and entrepreneurship. He began his career in an International Accounting Firm, working with global teams and Fortune 500 clients through times of significant change. Now, he is a fractional CFO who delivers enterprise-level financial leadership grounded in practical small-business operations. Functioning as an extension of business owners, he provides forward-looking analysis, cash flow forecasting, profitability improvement, and strategic decision support.
Starting or growing a business? We can help. champaign.org/launch
Main Library
Our beautiful, state-of-the-art Main Library opened on January 6, 2008. You’ll find a wide variety of books, movies, and music, as well as free events for all ages. Looking for tech options? We offer free Wifi, dozens of public computers with internet access, and public meeting rooms.
