What is Business Debtors Anonymous (B.D.A.)?

Business Debtors Anonymous (B.D.A.) is a distinct and dynamic but not separate part of D.A., created to focus on the recovery of members of the Fellowship who are business owners, including sole proprietors. Together, members of B.D.A. support one another in applying the D.A. principles and B.D.A. Tools when owning and running a business. You can find free helpful literature here.

As part of D.A., there is no separate membership for attending Business Debtors Anonymous meetings. 

Getting Started

Based on experience, B.D.A. recommends the following actions be taken toward recovery from incurring debt in business.

  1. Stop incurring unsecured business debt one day at a time.
  2. Attend meetings regularly.
  3. Get phone numbers from other members. Call with questions and for support. 
  4. Get a sponsor and start working the 12 Steps. A sponsor is someone with more experience in working the 12 Steps, and who has been practicing the principles of the B.D.A. program in their personal or business life.
  5. Begin keeping your numbers. Regularly record your expenses and income. It is suggested that your income and expenses covering at least one month be brought to your first Pressure Relief Group (PRG).
  6. Get a Pressure Relief Group. Many of us come into the rooms of B.D.A. with serious financial pressures from which we have had little or no relief, such as unpaid bills, creditors, and unpaid taxes. A Pressure Relief Group is comprised of two people with experience in working the Steps who can offer hope, possible options for relief, and solutions based on their experience. Some meetings focus specifically on the issues of a newcomer in B.D.A. Although the format for such a meeting can vary, we find it helpful to familiarize newcomers with the Steps and Tools of the D.A. Program.

When working the Steps with a sponsor or step study group, you might consider using the “Twelve Steps Study Guide for D.A. and B.D.A.” 

How Can Recovery in Business Debtors Anonymous Change its Members?

  • 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, pay our bills and employees on time, pay ourselves a regular salary with benefits and vacation time and build a thriving, prosperous, debt-free and financially solvent business.
  • We take responsibility for our business commitments and obligations and remember that we are in charge of the professionals who work for us. 
  • We maintain clear and orderly financial records and eliminate unnecessary clutter. 
  • We have clear knowledge of our overhead, operating expenses, pricing, profit, accounts receivable, accounts payable and all our assets and liabilities. 
  • We have a business plan, and goals and visions for ourselves and our businesses. 
  • We place all agreements in writing. 
  • We budget our time realistically and focus our work time on generating revenue. 
  • We value our goods and services and price them accordingly. 
  • We maintain contact with our sponsors, pressure relief group and friends in the program, continue to attend D.A. and B.D.A. meetings, and perform service in our recovery. 
  • We are willing and able to ask for help when we need it and trust in the care and guidance of our higher power. 
  • We are at peace with ourselves and allow our businesses to grow and expand harmoniously.

“We learn to operate our business along spiritual lines and find that operating in integrity and being of service is profitable.”

The Tools of Business Debtors Anonymous

  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.

The text above is excerpted from Business Debtors Anonymous, a pamphlet which can be ordered from the General Service Office.

FIND BDA MEETINGS ON THE DA WEB SITE

Virtual meetings can also be searched by “Email”, “Phone” or “Video” via “ALL VENUES” box.

Some B.D.A. members have found it beneficial to attend (either in person or virtually) “Spiritually Sustainable Earning” meetings to discover the abundance that surrounds their business efforts.

Other Resources (literature/recordings):

  1. Debtors Anonymous Twelve Steps Study Guide for D.A. and B.D.A.: Recovery from Compulsive Debting
  2. Business Debtors Anonymous Newcomers Packet
  3. Business Debtors Anonymous pamphlet
  4. The Tools of Business Debtors Anonymous
  5. B.D.A Speaker Series 2024-25