Rush on Business Podcast No. 5 is an interview with Mike Colwell. Mike is the Executive Director of the Business Innovation Zone of Central Iowa (BIZ). BIZ is a new regional business accelerator through the Greater Des Moines Partnership. If you are an entrepreneur in Central Iowa you won’t want to
Starting a Business
Des Moines Partnership Business Accelerator Podcast
Tomorrow I have a podcast interview with Mike Colwell on my BlogTalkRadio channel page. Mike is the Executive Director of the Des Moines Partnership’s new business accelerator, BIZ. The live interview is scheduled for 4:00 p.m. and will be also be available in podcast format on this blog.
Hope you will listen. If you…
Franchise Due Diligence
If you are looking at a franchise opportunity you should read this article from Barry Kurtz on Digging into Franchises: The Due Diligence Minefield. His proposed Legal Due Diligence Checklist within the article is a must read.
The due diligence process is important when buying a franchise (or any business). Kurtz’s article deals more…
Limited Liability Company (LLC) Formation in Iowa
The Limited Liability Company is a hybrid form of doing business that combines characteristics of the corporate structure and the partnership structure. It is a separate entity like a corporation and therefore carries liability protection for all of its members/owners, but is generally taxed like a partnership which has the benefit of flow-through taxation.
The…
Protect Your Business with Restrictive Covenant Agreements
I read an excellent article by Adam Siegelhiem of Stark & Stark concerning Restrictive Covenant Agreements for Franchises. Although his post is intended for franchises it is advisable for any business to consider restrictive covenant agreements for their employees.
Somewhat surprisingly, many of the small business owners I talk with are reluctant to enter…
Budding Iowa Entrepreneur? Review 100 Ways to Improve
I read with great interest this recent article entitled, 100 Ways to Become a Better Entrepreneur. In general the article gives pretty solid advice. But it always concerns me when articles automatically assume the entrepreneur is unable to afford paying a lawyer to draft a business contract. (See No. 74).
I understand that…
Incorporate in Iowa
If you are thinking about starting a corporation in Iowa, here is a checklist of steps you might consider before starting your business:
1. Find out the availability of your corporate name. You can do a quick search on the Iowa Secretary of State’s Web site to see whether your name is available. If…
Franchising Expo in Ames This Friday & Saturday
The owner of the North Grand Mall in Ames, GK Development, Inc., is holding a franchise expo this Friday and Saturday. A number of franchising and business experts will give presentations including successful franchisees from Central Iowa. The expo is designed to allow franchises and potential entrepreneurs the opportunity to connect with one another and…
To Infinity and Beyond
Tomorrow I am the luncheon speaker for the Des Moines Sertoma Club. The topic is my Iowa business law practice and how this blog fits into that practice. When I started Rush on Business one year ago I never could have imagined all the great things that would happen to me in just one…
Consider Grants to Fund Training of Iowa Workers
Problem: You need to train your existing employees on new manufacturing techniques but you don’t have the necessary funds to complete it.
Solution: Consider a grant under the Iowa Jobs Training Program (260F) through the Des Moines Area Community College Business Resources. A client recently obtained this grant to train his employees. He…
