Managing payroll (and associated taxes), Human Resources, Employee Benefits, Workers Compensation, and Risk Management can be a daunting task for small business owners. Fortunately, there are many professionals that can help in all these areas. It can be as simple as outsourcing your payroll functions, working with a financial planner to develop a benefits package or utilizing a Professional Employer Organization (PEO) that will actually hire your employees under their umbrella and manage all the difficult aspects of having employees. Consult your local SCORE office for leads on outsourcing your payroll or finding someone to help with benefits packages. For more information on PEO’s, see the National Association of Professional Employer Organizations at www.napeo.org. As always, before hiring any of these professionals, be sure to do your homework, including the checking of references as well checking with the Better Business Bureau (www.bbb.org).