Yesterday I had an interesting discussion with one of my buddies. He is an executive with a Fortune 500 company out-of-state and he was expressing his frustration with lawyers – actually his own lawyers. He just got off the phone with one of his outside counsel when I called. After talking with him for less than 30 seconds I
IowaBiz.com: Small Business Site Catching Fire!
The IowaBiz.com site is gaining popularity daily. Yours truly is one of the contributing authors but the other eleven authors have me checking this site every day and reading it through my feedreader. I am continually impressed with the quality of the ideas and concepts developed by the authors. A couple of my recent favorites and applicable to readers of
Trademark Law Primer
Iowa intellectual property lawyer Brett Trout offers a trademark law primer today on IowaBiz.com. Brett points out that companies seeking to protect their trademarks should consider federal registration of those marks for valuable trademark protection. He says,
Once you start using your trademark in commerce, you obtain what are known as "common law" trademark
Ten Tips for New Small Businesses
I ran across this list of tips for new small businesses. Some terrific advice. Here are the ten tips as listed:
- Save up as much money as possible before starting.
- Start on a shoestring.
- Protect your personal assets.
- Understand how–and if–you will make a profit.
- Make a business plan, so matter how short.
- Get and
Central Iowa Business Updates: SEMEE & BIZ
A couple of Central Iowa business updates for your information:
- SEMEE – The next SEMEE (Society for Entrepreneurial-Minded Executives) meeting is scheduled for July 19, 2007 from 6:00 – 9:00 p.m. at the EMC Insurance Building downtown. I attended the February meeting and thoroughly enjoyed it. Last time there were some great presentations by some
What are the Top Legal Issues Facing Today’s Small Businesses?
I am hoping you will provide me with some input. What do you think are the top legal issues facing small businesses today?
My general sense is that employee/human resource issues rank high. If you are a small business owner, what keeps you up at night from a legal perspective? If you are a lawyer
Avoid These 11 Common Mistakes of Small Business Owners
On the Texas Small Business Law Blog there is an helpful post on the common mistakes made by small business owners. The common mistakes listed by business attorney David Willis include:
1) Under-capitalization.
2) Failure to plan and adjust for growth.
3) Over-emphasis on the type of business organization.
4) Failure to understand the
Protect Your Iowa Business with a Non-Compete
Many business owners I talk with are reluctant to enter into a non-compete with their employees. These business owners are afraid an employee won’t sign or a confrontation will occur. Some just don’t believe they should keep the employee from finding a job – even if it is to the employer’s detriment.
But to avoid
Trout Writes on “Who Owns Your Website?”
Brett Trout has a post worth reading on "Who Owns Your Website?" In the post Brett warns clients to carefully read the agreement and to take steps to ensure you own your Website and the domain name. As Brett says,
"Most clients think they are obtaining an “assignment” of these things when they write
The Basics of S Corporation Losses
Over on IowaBiz.com Joe Kristan has an excellent post describing the basic tax treatment of S corporation losses. Joe says,
Bottom line? The ability to deduct business losses is a good reason for many taxpayers to use S corporations. If you expect S corporation losses, talk to your tax pro before year-end to make