A why and demand business

You’ve got questions? Erin Baldwin says she’s got answers.

The independent business consultant has launched an online question-answering service from her Costa Mesa office. For $35, Baldwin says she can answer any question you throw at her, whether it’s about combating pesky gnats to incorporating a business offshore.

“The idea is to provide practical business information at a price people can afford,” said Baldwin, who launched Delegate-Online.com at the beginning of March. Most of the questions she gets are about business plans, news releases and accounting issues, but she said her site is prepared to answer any type of question.

Here’s how it works: Visitors log in to her site, set up a profile and then fill out an online form with their questions. After receiving the questions, Baldwin said she begins contacting her network of California Chamber of Commerce affiliates in search of a solution.

“I chose chambers because I think they have an edge with high integrity,” she said.

After making her initial contacts, Baldwin works with an expert ? whether it be an exterminator or a tax accountant ? to develop an in-depth written response to the question.

Baldwin said she thinks private businesses will participate in answering the questions because it gives them a chance to connect with potential customers. Although they provide the answers for free, Baldwin passes along their contact information in the hope the inquiring party might contract the businesses for paid services.

Baldwin said she started Delegate-Online.com after a bad experience trying to buy a home, in which she spent $20,000 but ended up without any real estate. She said she was misled by several real-estate agents and attorneys into putting down a deposit on a home with severe mold problems.

At the time, Baldwin said, she had no prior-home buying experience and relied on the advice of the people she had hired to represent her.

“You don’t know what you don’t know,” she said.

In addition to Delegate-Online.com, Baldwin also runs a consulting firm in a small office near the John Wayne airport and helps businesses with marketing strategies, office organization and efficiency.

She created Delegate-Online.com as a middle range solution for small businesses and consumers who need answers but can’t afford to hire a full-time consultant.

“Most people starting out don’t have a large amount of capital, but they have lots of questions to ask,” she said. “My goal is to give them an affordable solution.”dpt.13-bizspot-C.1PhotoInfoEI1OS5F720060313ivzvjrknKENT TREPTOW / DAILY PILOT(LA)Erin Baldwin is the owner of Baldwin Business Consulting, which helps businesses with planning, organization, events and relocation.