One of the nice benefits of filing an LLC in Iowa is that the owners are not required to disclose the members in filings with the Iowa Secretary of State. In many instances when filing a Certificate of Organization, I won’t list the member(s) to provide anonymity to the member(s) on the public search site. Instead, I’ll sign

I am pleased to announce that I now have a Rush on Business You Tube Channel where I’ll post short videos on various aspects of business and franchise law. I have a few videos posted so far and I’ll add content weekly.

New videos include:

Should You Include Your Spouse When Forming a Small Business LLC?

The Iowa Startup Fair takes place on January 31, 2012 from 3 to 6 PM in various locations around downtown Des Moines, Cedar Rapids, Cedar Falls and Pella. More than 80 companies will be exhibiting throughout the state.

There are more than 50 businesses exhibiting at the Des Moines locations. Those locations are the StartupCity Des Moines offices

Do you know the difference between sole proprietorships, partnerships, corporations and limited liability companies? Do you know whether to set up an S corporation or is a C corporation better for you? Are limited liability companies really all that and a bag of chips?

Be sure to join me for an information-packed webinar through MyEntre.Net on

Last night I attended the Greater Des Moines Partnership’s Annual Dinner. It was an interesting evening and I enjoyed listening to the guest speaker Christiane Amanpour discuss her experiences as a global journalist. She is obviously incredibly passionate about her work and encouraged everyone in the audience to "DO GOOD" with their work and

A new organization called Above the Line America is hosting a Business Growth Summit in Ankeny, Iowa on January 31, 2012 from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The Summit is located at the FFA Enrichment Center, 1055 SW Prairie Trail Parkway in Ankeny.

The day should be a great one. Business owners and professionals will get an opportunity to

The first ever Iowa Startup Fair is taking place on Tuesday, January 31, 2012 from 3 to 6 pm. During the fair, new businesses will set up informational tables to showcase thier projects for an audience of business, investment, civic and other community members.

In Des Moines, the Startup Fair locations will be at the

Iowa entrepreneurs have an opportunity to connect with potential investors at the i2Iowa Investors and Innovators Forum on April 12, 2012 at Veterans Memorial Auditorium. Business owners and entrepreneurs can pitch their businesses to investors from four tracks which include:

  1. Life and Bio Sciences
  2. Information Technology
  3. Advanced Manufacturing
  4. General Business

Companies can apply online through

I saw an interesting post from franchise attorney Michael Webster on the BlueMauMau site on Negotiating Your Franchisee Rights. Some of his helpful nuggets:

  1. Review the FDD to see if they are using franchise brokers – you may be able to knock something off the franchise fee by asking for the broker’s rebate.
  2. Budget for professional advice. Hire