Fraud, corruption, and sudden regulatory shifts can destroy your business overnight. Formal rules won't save you when enforcement is weak, selective, or absent. This briefing teaches you how to build fraud-proof internal controls, navigate ethical gray zones, and structure operations to survive when the rules change or stop working entirely.
In stable markets, you can rely on regulations, auditors, and legal systems to catch problems before they destroy you. In fragile markets, those safeguards either don't exist or don't function consistently. An employee can misappropriate funds for months before anyone notices. A vendor can inflate invoices without consequence. A partner can operate outside your agreed terms because enforcement is expensive, slow, or politically influenced. By the time you discover the problem, the damage is done—and your options for recovery are limited.
Most fraud and compliance failures don't happen because founders are careless. They happen because internal systems were designed for environments where external accountability exists. You assume someone else is watching. You trust that the rules will catch bad actors. But in markets where regulatory oversight is inconsistent, legal recourse is uncertain, and informal networks override formal processes, that assumption will cost you. You need controls that work independently of external enforcement—systems that detect problems early, prevent opportunities for misconduct, and create accountability even when no one else is looking.
This briefing walks you through how to design internal controls for environments where the rules don't protect you. You'll learn how to structure financial oversight that catches fraud before it scales, how to vet partners and employees when background checks are unreliable, and how to build ethical boundaries when everyone around you is cutting corners. Some of these systems are technical. Others are cultural. But all of them are essential if you're operating where institutional trust is low and the cost of mistakes is high.
John Cobb has built businesses in markets where the rules exist on paper but rarely in practice. He's discovered fraud after the damage was done, redesigned control systems to prevent repeat incidents, and helped organizations navigate corruption without compromising their mission. He's operated in environments where vendor kickbacks were expected, where regulatory enforcement was selective, and where formal contracts provided little actual protection.
He's advised leadership teams through the aftermath of internal misconduct—handling terminations, stakeholder communication, and system rebuilding when trust was shattered.
This briefing is built from hard lessons: the controls that actually work when external safeguards fail, and the mistakes that cost you when you assume someone else is watching.
This briefing is available as a private session for organizations, investor networks, leadership teams, and accelerator cohorts operating in or expanding to markets where institutional protections are weak. John tailors the content to your specific operational context, industry risks, and compliance challenges. Sessions can be delivered in-person or virtually, with confidential Q&A for situations your organization is currently navigating.
Private briefings work well for companies with operations in high-risk jurisdictions, investor groups conducting governance assessments on portfolio companies, or leadership teams rebuilding trust after fraud or misconduct. The session can be configured as a standalone workshop or integrated into broader risk management, compliance, or governance programming.
If your organization operates where formal rules don't reliably protect you, contact us to discuss format, scheduling, and pricing. Group rates available for organizations booking multiple briefings.
Available Languages: English, Spanish, Portuguese