A guest post from Dwolla founder Ben Milne on the Silicon Prairie News site says what I have been saying on the legal side for years: Iowa is a great place to start a business (and incorporate).

It’s fantastic to see companies like Dwolla enjoying success and creating considerable buzz. I’ve long thought that

It is flattering to be included in FranchiseHelp’s Best Franchise Blogs in 2011. There are a lot of great blogs on the list, so it’s always nice to be recognized with such outstanding writers and franchise industry experts. Here’s what they had to say about Rush on Business:

The only thing that could potentially

Do you have a new technology-based business idea? If you do, I encourage you to check out the Dream Big, Grow Here contest that is sponsored regionally by the Business Innovation Zone.  The winner of the regional business pitch contest will be awarded $5,000 and then move on for the opportunity to win another $10,000 in a

I spend a substantial amount of time fielding questions about whether a new Iowa business owner should form a corporation or LLC.  It’s an important question but I caution new business owners not to get too bogged down in the details. Instead, I suggest putting a team of advisors in place to help navigate the

I recently had the pleasure of presenting at the Raising Capital Seminar sponsored by the Business Innovation Zone. I discussed business entity formation and certain start-up issues. The presentation touched on forming S corporations, LLCs, business valuation methods, intellectual property ownership and the use of non-disclosure agreements.

You can see the video highlights here

Sometimes knowing what not to buy may be just as important as what to buy.

From BlueMauMau you should see this list of the 25 worst franchises to buy in 2011. The list is based upon failure rates of SBA loans only (with 50 or more disbursements). Eight franchises have over a 50 percent failure rate on getting the SBA loan

I hear two words from prospective franchisees all the time. In fact, almost every time someone visits with me regarding a franchise opportunity. But a blog post on the Franchise King’s Blog says these two words don’t exist in franchising

If you are a prospective franchisee read the post from the Franchise King and take it to heart.

Matt Brick has a super webinar on our Brick Gentry Web site on the Changes to Iowa Employment Law and Legislation. Employment law is a constantly shifting area of the law that has serious consequences for employers, even when making a good faith mistake. Matt’s presentation covers important developments in employment law for both public and private