Franchisee lawyer Richard Solomon has a passion for spreading the word about conducting pre-investment due diligence. His latest post on the BlueMauMau site outlines many of the pitfalls experienced by franchisees in various industries. It also discusses the fact that a mere review of the franchise disclosure document and franchise agreement is not enough. On that subject he
It’s Just Good Business
These posts demonstrate some good business basics:
Small Biz Survival has a good blog post on how to keep good tax records.
Kyle Kruidenier of the Iowa Law Blog talks about the importance of thinking with the end in mind when forming a business.
Marc Ward shares why LLC operating agreements should be in
Iowa Biz Post: Iowa Smoke Free Air Act Impacts Even YOUR Business
Many Iowa business owners think the new Iowa SmokeFree Air Act only applies to bars and restaurants. Not so!
Check out my post today on the Des Moines Business Record’s IowaBiz site for more details.
Working in a Franchise Before Buying Doesn’t Make You a Chicken!
Nothing like a good article on franchising to bring me out of a blogging hiatus that I anticipated 
would last at least another week. But thanks to the Small Business Trends site and franchise consultant Joel Libava, my rest is over.
The Franchise King posted on a Central Ohio restaurant franchise called Roosters that seeks experienced franchise
Majority of Franchisors Just Get You Into Business
All Business has a decent article describing the ten key provisions of a franchise agreement. However, I do take issue with the comment in Section 1 that "most franchisors offer ongoing support including administrative and technical support."
As I discussed in my last post on franchising, it is my experience that "most" franchisors DO
Rush on Business Interactive Learning Environment Coming Soon
With the help of Doug Mitchell and Andy Brudtkuhl I will be going live with an Interactive Learning Environment to complement this blog very soon. The Rush on Business Legal Wire will focus primarily on employment law, franchise due diligence / investigation issues and business purchase or sale considerations. I also hope to attract top speakers to participate in
Iowa Smoking Ban Begins July 1
Don’t forget that Iowa’s smoking ban in public places starts July 1, 2008. If you are a business interested in learning more about compliance with the new law please visit the Iowa Department of Public Heath site at www.iowasmokefreeair.gov.
An informative Q & A concerning the smoking ban is available here.
Bar
Don’t Copy Web Site Terms of Use Policies
Jonathan Frieden of the E-Commerce Law Blog offers some excellent advice that companies should refrain from copying another company’s Web site terms of use policy. Jonathan says that even sophisticated companies are tempted to reduce legal expenses by copying such policies.
Iowa intellectual property attorney Brett Trout has also offered the same advice. As Brett pointed out in
Where to Incorporate?
Indiana civil and business lawyer Sam Hasler recently expressed his view that the place to incorporate your business is generally in your home state.
I agree with Sam.
Delaware or Nevada may offer viable options for some companies but in general most Iowa small businesses are probably wise to incorporate here in Iowa.
Why Document Retention Policies Are So Critical
This post on employment lawsuits causing most e-discovery woes just confirms the reasons why a sound document retention policy is necessary in today’s business environment.
Organizations need to respond to an increasing number of document requests, from regulatory compliance issues to internal investigations to full-scale litigation. Much of this information is available electronically. Despite the