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ARE FRONT COMPANIES STILL BUSINESSES?
Even an Illegal Business Needs a Plan
R unning a business is hard, but you know what’s even harder? Running a fake business. Front companies have been around since the early 1900s and have been steadily increasing in recent years. A front company is a business that presents itself as one entity but operates as another. They are usually set up by an organization with the intent of disguising an ulterior motive. In some cases, this is for good reasons. The CIA sets up front companies to give their agents legitimate backstories. In other cases, front companies are created to protect criminal organizations. Here are some of the latter. CASINOS Most businesses never get off the ground because they can’t find startup capital. You need these funds to pay employees, purchase operating space, and provide your service. In the case of the early days of Las Vegas, limited oversight and regulation allowed businesses to operate like the Wild West. Mafias could build casinos without too many questions about where the money came from or how much went through their operation. Racketeers could take funds obtained from criminal ventures, send them to Vegas, and claim them as house winnings.
BARS Building a strong customer base is one of the toughest parts of any successful business. Well, when you can create customers out of thin air, you eliminate that variable. Before bars began to be regulated, this is precisely what made them ideal front companies. Bar owners could create invoices for patrons who never existed and use the cash from their hidden illegitimate practice to make these patrons appear real. SHELL CORPORATIONS The constant upkeep of a brick- and-mortar location can be a huge expense for any owner. But if your business only exists on paper, you don’t have to deal with any of those complications. This is one reason shell corporations make great front companies. Shell companies aren’t illegal by any means, but they can be used in illegal ways. Many criminal organizations use them to hide money from investigators or to make illegal profits seem legal. Operating a front company is hard because there is no shortcut to success. Truly successful companies achieve their missions through vision and values, not fronts. Integrity makes people resonate with a brand, and that’s one thing you can’t fake.
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Oatmeal Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches
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1 teaspoon kosher salt
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1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter
3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 1/2 ounces store-bought waffle cones, lightly crushed
1 large egg yolk
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1 1/2 cups oats
2 teaspoons vanilla extract 4 pints ice cream (any flavor)
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4. Add egg mixture to food processor while spinning on low. Once integrated, slowly add browned butter; blend until dough forms a solid mass around blades. 5. Form dough into 26 balls and place 2 inches apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Flatten balls and bake 12–15 minutes or until edges begin to brown. 6. Let cool, then spread ice cream between cookies to make sandwiches. 7. Freeze for up to 5 days — or enjoy today!
1. Heat oven to 350 F. While oven is heating, cook butter in saucepan over medium heat until browned, 5–8 minutes. Scrape browned butter into a heatproof measuring glass. 2. Pulse waffle cones, oats, flour, and salt in a food processor or blender. Once cones are finely ground, add brown sugar and pulse again. 3. Whisk egg yolk, vanilla, and 2 tablespoons water in a small bowl.
CAMPING FLIPFLOPS HAMBURGER JUNE
LEMONADE PICNIC POOL SMORES
SUNSCREEN SUNSHINE SWIMMING VACATION
Inspired by Food Network Inspired by B n Appetit
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