I will be speaking at the Midwest Entrepreneur and Small Business Conference scheduled for September 12 & 13 at the Jordan Creek Marriott in West Des Moines.

I encourage you to check out the preliminary presenters’ list for this first of its kind conference in our community.  Hope you will consider attending.

Gavin Craig in his new Twin Cities Business Litigation Blog has an excellent post on the importance of making sure the world knows you have a corporate entity.  Craig is convinced that many small business owners (especially contractors) do not know how to properly operate a corporation or LLC. Craig says,

When a person incorporates their business, it

Many people dream about owning their own business.  More and more people are choosing franchising as the avenue to to pursue these dreams.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has excellent information in its consumer guide for buying a franchise.  The FTC recommends that BEFORE you invest in or select a franchise you should think about how much money you

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

Washington employment lawyer Donald Heyrich details some recent huge verdicts against employers.  The verdicts in his report range all the way up to a whopping $47 million.

Looking to avoid big verdicts?  I say treat employees with RESPECT and keep in mind the Golden Rule of Employee Relations:  Fairness.  Unfortunately too many employers forget these