BDA 12 Tools & Readings

Are You A Compulsively Debting Business Person?

As business owners, we knew we were heading for problems when:

•  We neither knew when bills or taxes were due, nor did we remember if and what we had paid or still owed.

•  Payments were not made within agreed-upon terms.

•  We confused our personal finances with our business finances.

•  We often did not know the exact costs of our overhead, operating expenses or profit margins.

•  We had no business plan.

•  We lived in a state of deprivation for the sake of our business.

•  We undervalued and under-priced our goods and services. We held on to clients who were slow or bad payers.

•  A reasonable and comfortable profit margin was not factored into our pricing.

•  We cut our salaries in order to save the business money.

•  Our goal is to be willing and able to build a prosperous, debt-free and solvent business using the principles of the program in all our business and personal affairs.

The Twelve Tools for Business Debtors Anonymous

In BDA we learn to operate our business along spiritual lines and find that operating in integrity and being of service is profitable.

1. We keep separate professional and personal financial records and bank accounts.

2. We write annual one-year business plans with definable and accountable goals and targets.

3. We keep clean, orderly, and accurate financial records, including accounts receivable, accounts payable, cash on hand, inventory, 

assets and outstanding debts, and put all tax and bill due-dates on our calendar.

4. We pay ourselves a salary including benefits, medical insurance, vacations, and sick days.

5. We remain mindful that dollars spent should generate revenue, and we compare prices before making purchases.

6. We maintain clarity about the overhead and profit margins of every product or service we sell.

7. We pay our bills and invoice our clients promptly.

8. We put all our business agreements in writing and write our own letters of agreement.

9. We notice the competition but don’t worry about it. We learn from our competitors and trust that it is an abundant universe with more than enough for everyone.

10. We separate ourselves from difficult personalities and poor-paying clients and place principles before personalities.

11. We bookend before and after making commitments and difficult business decisions or actions.

12. We are willing to be in charge of and responsible for our business. Professionals who work for us, such as accountants, lawyers, and consultants, are not our Higher Power.

BDA Recovery Issues

In BDA we learn to operate our business along spiritual lines and find that operating in integrity and being of service is profitable. 

We accumulate cash reserves and pay our bills and employees on time. To accomplish this, we took the following actions:

1. We detached from the business with a renewed commitment to the business.

2. We surrendered to the idea that we are neither our business nor our debts.

3. We made a commitment to ourselves, to God and our Pressure Relief Groups to repay all our creditors.

4. We maintained a prosperous cash flow to meet our business needs.

5. We took charge of all our business affairs and obligations.

6. We structured a supportive and reasonable overhead for the business, sufficient to meet our needs.

7. We monitored all our business expenses with clarity, being in charge of all our accountants, bookkeepers and 

other financial and legal advisors.

8. Over time, we built and maintained prudent cash reserves.

9. We took the salaries, benefits and vacation time due to us on a regular basis, just as we expected our employees to do.

10. We took responsibility for maintenance of our business records.

11. We worked with other people — employees, vendors, clients, and competitors — remembering that it is principles before personalities.

12. We came to know that through business highs and business lows, we were going nowhere unless we were on our spiritual track.