A year ago I joked that I didn’t know the governor (Branstad at the time) and the legislature could cut another $7.7 million from our judiciary. While my comment was tongue-in-cheek, my worries were not. Our Iowa judiciary is facing challenges like we have never seen before. And it’s showing. The US Institute for Legal
Franchise Law
Starting a Business in Iowa: Do I Really Need a Lawyer?
By Rush Nigut on
You want to start a business in Iowa. Do you really need a lawyer? My answer may surprise you.
Absolutely not!
Every day, many entrepreneurs do exactly that by using online incorporation kits. There is definitely a segment of the market these incorporation companies serve.
The most obvious motivating factor for setting up a corporation…
Thinking of Starting a Restaurant in Des Moines? Look at the Market Trends
By Rush Nigut on
The restaurant business is a tough business. One of my friends was a banker. As a general rule, he would not loan to restaurants. Why? Because as a general rule the failure rate for restaurants is higher than most businesses.
Recently there have been several restaurant closings in the Des Moines area that has spurred…
Iowa Secretary of State Increases Corporate Biennial Report Fees Beginning 2018
By Rush Nigut on
As my clients probably noticed this year, the Iowa Secretary of State increased the corporate biennial report fees for Iowa Corporations in 2018 from $30 for online filing to $45. Iowa LLCs will have the same increase in 2019. My understanding is that the increased fees is an effort to pay for business technology upgrades.…
KEY LESSONS OUT OF THE SHARK TANK WITH BARBARA CORCORAN
The #DSMUSA business community had the distinct opportunity to listen to Barbara Corcoran of Shark Tank fame at their Annual Greater Des Moines Partnership Dinner. For me, the talk was extremely insightful and also confirmed many of the lessons I have tried to teach on this blog and to clients over the years. I have…
Franchise King Shares Top Franchise Trends and Predictions for 2018
By Rush Nigut on
For this week’s franchise post I thought I would share an interesting article from Joel Libava a/k/a “The Franchise King”. Joel recently wrote his Top Franchise Trends and Predictions for 2018. It is really an insightful look at the industry and a good read for franchisors and prospective franchisees alike.
One of the more…
Starting a Franchise Company? Have Systems and Investment Capital in Place
By Rush Nigut on
I have received a number of calls recently about starting a franchise operation. On the one hand, it is awesome because the interest in franchising among Iowa business owners definitely seems to be growing. But on the other hand, most of these business owners are not ready to begin the leap into franchising just yet.…
Sexual Harassment Claims will Continue to Climb in 2018
By Rush Nigut on
2017 was a watershed year for the publicity of sexual harassment claims. Time Magazine even named its “Person of the Year” as the Silence Breakers. Business owners should expect those claims to become even more prominent in 2018 as the masses, not just celebrities, begin to break their silence as well. Just yesterday, I…
Protect Your Confidential Business Information
I often see cases involving the theft of confidential business information by former employees. Attorney Eric Roth has some helpful tips in a recent blog post on how to deal with the problem.
The main take away reminder in my opinion is to take action to protect your trade secrets BEFORE it becomes a problem.…
Iowa Governor Branstad to Cut $7.7 Million from Judiciary Budget
Governor Branstad announced his proposed budget yesterday with $110 million in cuts. This includes $7.7 million in budget cuts for the judiciary.
The budget cuts in the judiciary are alarming. Today, Chief Justice Mark Cady will give his state of the judiciary address. It will be interesting to hear his comments based upon the…