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Rush Nigut is a shareholder with the Brick Gentry Law Firm in West Des Moines, Iowa. His practice includes both transactional and litigation matters including franchising and business law. Rush started his legal blog, Rush on Business, in 2006. He has been quoted or referenced by hundreds of other blogs, websites, and publications. He also is the editor of the Brick Gentry Trial Team blog and can help you identify the most qualified lawyer at Brick Gentry to handle your case. Our lawyers have a breadth of trial experience in personal injury, employment discrimination, business litigation, IP law, and class action cases.

Thinking about buying a franchise?

Franchises can be a great way to start your own business. They offer the benefits of being your own boss with the support and resources of a larger organization. But there are some things you need to think about before making the decision to buy a franchise including the financial

If you are a business owner who is looking to sell or transfer your business, then it is important to understand the importance of effective succession planning. Succession planning helps ensure the future of your business is bright and secure, regardless of who owns it. Let’s break down what succession planning entails and how it

Big news this past week in business/employment law. The FTC is proposing legislation banning noncompete clauses. The agency estimates this could increase workers’ salaries by nearly $300 billion per year.

I’ve never been a fan of noncompete clauses for lower paid workers. But I’ve always believed there is some validity to a business protecting

Last week I wrote about how the franchise industry has it wrong. But don’t misunderstand me, that doesn’t mean the future of franchising isn’t bright. In fact, the breadth of the franchising industry is pretty staggering.

Red Boswell writes on the FranchiseWire blog that the 2023 will be the best year ever in franchising.

You may want to own your own business but you also don’t want to quit your day job. Is it possible to find the elusive extra income to add to your bottom line and possibly even give you the freedom to quit your job in the future?

Kimberly Crossland has a great post on the

I have reviewed hundreds of franchise disclosure documents (FDDs) and franchise agreements at this point in my career. And mostly, my review always solicits one question in my mind:

Do franchisors need these overwhelmingly restrictive franchise agreements?

Most FDDs and franchise agreements disclaim just about any real obligation to do anything on behalf of franchisees.

Really interesting article in this weekend’s Wall St. Journal on how private equity firms are buying up car washes and turning them into regional chains. There is a trend in private equity to buy up small businesses is to bundle the businesses in order to “roll-up” those businesses and find new ways for them to

I made this observation on Twitter recently. Franchisors should stand by their trademarks.

What? Why would you say this? Doesn’t every franchisor stand by their trademarks?

No. No they don’t.

If you look closely at your franchise agreement, it is very likely the franchisor will not indemnify its franchisees against trademark infringement by third parties.