One of the biggest concerns that business owners have is dealing with a legal or business crisis. Whether it is a lawsuit, a data breach, or other sensitive issues, a crisis can greatly impact a business. In fact, it is not unusual for many businesses to close within a year of experiencing a crisis. Knowing
10 Tips for Starting a New Business in Iowa
Are you thinking about starting a new business in Iowa? Here are 10 tips to get you on your way.
Zoom Past Legal Zoom – Revisited
Years ago now I wrote a post called Zoom Past Legal Zoom. For years it has been one of the most read posts on this site and no post on the site has more comments. In that post I talked about how Legal Zoom does NOT give out legal advice and how the company’s
Asset Purchase Sale? Check out Unemployment History of Seller
Business buyers enter into asset purchase sales to avoid taking on the liabilities and debts of the seller. In Iowa, asset purchase buyers may be surprised to learn that under many circumstances the buyer will have successor liability with respect to the seller’s reserve account for the purposes of unemployment. This means the buyer inherits
Prospective Franchisees Need to Research Further Than FDD for Details
I read an interesting article from Entrepreneur on the Key to Understanding a Company’s FDD (franchise disclosure document). It’s an article I’d recommend prospective franchisees read but they better be prepared to go deeper if they really want to understand a Company’s FDD. The author recommends checking three key sections of the FDD:
- Item 3
Careful Planning Necessary When Using Retirement Monies to Fund Startup Business
Accountant Joe Kristan of Roth & Co. has an informative post on the IowaBiz Blog discussing the dangers of using IRA retirement monies to fund a startup business. In the situation described, a would-be entrepreneur took about $320,000 from his 401K and rolled it into a self-directed IRA. From there, the entrepreneur invested almost
Vote ‘Yes’ to Renovate and Update Polk County Courthouse
I generally try to stay away from politics on this blog but there is an important vote on November 5th regarding Measure A: The Polk County Public Safety Judicial System Bond. I encourage you to vote ‘Yes" for this measure.
Our Polk County Courthouse has been in use for over 100 years. While it
Due Diligence Training Through Plains Angels: Classes of Stock and Corporate Structure
Those interested in raising investment capital for their business, or those interested in making investments in businesses, may want to take advantage of the monthly due diligence/investor training provided by Plains Angels.
Plains Angels is a group of Midwest angel investors that have now funded various projects here in the Midwest. The group is
U.S. Patent Law Changes: The First-Inventor-to-File One Year Grace Period
* This is a guest post from Jessica Susie of the Brick Gentry Law Firm. Jessica is a registered patent attorney.
The America Invents Act, which President Obama signed into law on September 16, 2011, has been gradually overhauling the United States patent system. March 16, 2013 marked the biggest change – the United
How to Deal with Partner Disputes
I saw an interesting article on the LexBlog Network regarding how to deal with partner disputes. The post written by Texas restaurant lawyer, Matthew Sanderson, dealt specifically with restaurants, but the information contained in the post is applicable to any business. Sanderson recommends the following when a dispute occurs:
- Avoid the conflict by identifying