Many business owners treat the Letter of Intent (LOI) as a formality. A handshake on paper. Something labeled “non-binding,” and easy to defer until the real work begins in the purchase agreement.
That approach is a mistake.
The LOI is not just a preview. It is the foundation. And once it is set, it becomes
Business owners in 2026 face growing legal complexity. Contract disputes, ownership conflicts, economic/tariff pressures, and the rising use of AI-generated contracts are creating new risks. The businesses that avoid costly disputes tend to address these issues before they become problems.
Running a business has always involved risk. What is different in 2026 is how quickly
When selling your business or exploring a potential deal, many owners now turn to AI tools to draft non-disclosure agreements. The instinct makes sense. It is fast and accessible. But the execution is often flawed. Most business owners are not lawyers and cannot reasonably be expected to understand every protection that should be built into
Most business owners skim the miscellaneous section of a contract. That is a mistake. These provisions often control how disputes are handled. One of the most important is the waiver clause. It protects you when you choose not to enforce a minor breach so that decision does not become a permanent surrender of your rights.
I have sat across the table from hundreds of business owners who all say some version of the same thing: “I did not think this would become a problem.” That sentence usually comes right before a costly fix that could have been avoided with a little planning.
From the perspective of a business lawyer, most
Twenty years ago, Rush on Business began with a simple and deliberate goal: make the law understandable for everyday business owners. At the time, I took a chance on the idea that openly sharing clear, practical legal guidance through a blog could genuinely help people and, in doing so, build meaningful client relationships. I never
At first, everything was great.
You built something from scratch with a friend, family member, or business partner. You split the responsibilities. You shared the risks. You dreamed big.
But now, things are not so great.
There is tension over money. (Ironically often when success occurs). Disagreements over direction. One person thinks they are doing
Let’s talk about frustration.
Not the kind you feel when your coffee spills on the way to a meeting. I am talking about the deeper kind—the kind that builds over months, sometimes years, during business litigation.
If you are in the middle of a business dispute—or headed into one—there are three truths you need to
A business owner walks in with a pitch. He wants to “sell” you a piece of his company. The idea sounds solid. The opportunity feels right. You shake hands, cut the check, and walk away thinking you just became a business owner.
Then reality hits.
Nothing is in writing. No contract. No terms. No guarantees.
