AboutMichelle Dunn Expertise As one of the Top 5 Women in Collections, one of the Top 50 Collection Professionals of 2007, and winner of the 2007 Business Excellence award, I can answer any questions about debt, debt collection, improving business credit, creating a credit policy, enforcing a credit policy and collecting on past due accounts. I can also answer questions in regards to starting a debt collection agency since I have been a bill collector for over 21 years, started and ran my own collection agency for 8 years, and maintain my 11 year old American Credit & Collections Association for members of the credit & debt collection industry. I am also the author of the popular and award winning book "Starting a Collection Agency, how to make money collecting money" now on it's 3rd edition. This book has won a the Writers Digest self published award as well as the 2007 New York Book Festival Award.
I am a repeat contributor to the Wall Street Journal, and have been featured on NPR as well as many other national radio and television programs. I have also been featured in national publications such as the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Smart Money, MSNBC and much more. I have 12 published books to my name and am an accomplished speaker and consultant. I currently write 9 columns for newspapers, magazines and online portals worldwide.
Experience I have over 21 years experience in debt collection, I started and ran my own collection agency for 8 years and I am the Executive Director of my American Credit & Collections Association that I founded in 1998. www.credit-and-collections.com
Organizations The American Credit & Collections Association LLC, I was also a member of the American Collectors Association and Plymouth Chamber of Commerce for 9 years. I am a member of many writing groups as well as my local Women Inspiring Women chapter. I am a member of Know More Media as an expert for their blog on business credit.
Publications Business NH Magazine, Smart Money Magazine, MSNBC, CNN, Forbes.com, The Wall Street Journal, Home Business Magazine, Entrepreneur Magazine and website, many books, newspapers and television programs as well.
Education/Credentials I have written 12 books in my collecting money series and one for Entrepreneur Press called the Ultimate Credit and Collections Handbook.
Awards and Honors My book Starting a Collection Agency, how to make money collecting money won an award from Writers Digest and the 2007 New York Book Festival in the "How to" category. I have won 2 awards from Dun & Bradstreet and Governor Jean Shaheen. I was nominated as one of the Top 5 Women in Collections in 2007 as well as having been selected as one of Collection Advisor's Top 50 Collection Professionals for 2007.
Question My husband lent a friend a lot of money to run three pizza places starting in 2006. My husband formed an LLC in 2007 for two of the three pizza places with both of them listed as officers, they were 50/50. My husband never ran the business or handled payroll, we don't even live where the businesses are. My husband started getting phone calls from people saying we owed state and local taxes and sales taxes. My husband was shocked, then days later he finds out that his friend has bailed from the business since the comptroller shut the places down. We are shocked that this has happened, his friend always told my husband that things were going great and that he was taking care of everything! Now our world is turned upside down! My husband was in the process of transferring all of his shares to his friend a month ago, but his attorney was busy and now this has happened before the transfer was done. We are concerned that we will be liable for all this debt-taxes, vendors, building lease vendor, food service people! We did not ask for this! What are our options, will we be liable for all of this debt!! My husband's friend still owes us for the money that we lent him to purchase the businesses! Please give us some advice!
Answer Marlene,
Do you have the option of talking with the attorney who was going to transfer the shares over? Was this an LLC in both names or a partnership in both names? I would check with the attorney, your husband may be liable depending on the structure of the business and how it was set up. Did you have a signed contract or agreement with the friend for the money lent to him for the startups? If you do that should be easy to pursue through the court system.
