Business scammers everywhere can count their days numbered. A new partnership aims to put a serious dent in the unopposed, smarmy practices of businesses that take advantage of entrepreneurs and business owners. The Clear Business DirectoryTM (CLEAR) and CEO Space International, Inc. (CEO Space) join forces to send a clear message that preying on business conferences is no longer a lucrative business strategy. The vetting practices of CLEAR, founded in government counterintelligence principles, and the long history of CEO Space in growing successful businesses combine to create the perfect team to send business scammers packing.

Over the years, business conferences have become fertile hunting ground for fraudulent business practices. The energized atmosphere and ambiance of camaraderie create a cesspool for those who’ve mastered slick sales techniques and get-rich-quick schemes. “We have a clear and long-standing culture of collaboration. Unfortunately, some people try to take advantage of that by promoting fraudulent businesses. That hurts our members and keeps them from growing their businesses. We needed a solution. We’re excited to position ourselves as leaders by featuring a fully vetted faculty,” recalls September Dohrmann, President and CEO of CEO Space.

The CLEAR founders know a thing or two about detecting deception. With over 20 years combined counterintelligence experience, Army veterans and former government agents, Justin and Tonya Dawn Recla, were shocked when they found similarities between the espionage world and business: “Shortly after we joined CEO Space, the other members asked us to vet potential investors and service providers. Because of our backgrounds in the spy world, it was easy for us to ask the right questions and verify the answers. We taught this kind of thing at the Counterintelligence Special Agent Course. The idea of the directory just naturally came from business owners wanting a reliable source for gauging business legitimacy,” explains Justin Recla, COO and co-founder of CLEAR.

The importance of this partnership becomes even more apparent when the cost of frauds and scams for business owners is assessed:

  • The average scam costs a business owner $5k to $20k
  • The biggest hidden risk to your business is from people you think you know
  • Businesses that operate transparently are 80% more likely to avoid a fraud or scam
  • The ROI of a bad hire is -298%
  • Businesses that vet are 90% more likely to avoid a fraud or scam

“With the advent of the internet and social media, anyone can be a self-proclaimed expert. Businesses need a way to sort the legit service providers from fraudulent ones,” claims Tonya Dawn Recla, CEO and co-founder of CLEAR. “The market needed an affordable and reliable vetting process in the B2B space. We provide that.”

The Clear Business DirectoryTM is the first fully vetted business directory that screens members for frauds and scams and the only provider that offers affordable B2B vetting and employment screening. ClearBusinessDirectory.com

CEO Space International, Inc. is a business acceleration community, that works in cooperation to help members speed up the growth of their businesses. CEOSpaceInternational.com