Small Business Consulting
We take great pleasure in working with both individuals considering pursuing their dream – starting their very own business, as well as young businesses facing challenges on the road to growth, stability and profitability.
Start Ups
A first issue for all individuals starting a new business is choice of entity – the opportunity to consider governance issues and preferences, sources of financing and investors, management and tax matters. Considering these issues in a thoughtful, deliberate fashion can help to maximize your objectives while minimizing taxes and unnecessary costs at both the entity level and for the owners personally. While we use paralegals to assist us, we believe the initial meeting to discuss your objectives and review your options cannot be delegated; you will always meet with an experienced business attorney to discuss, review and plan for establishing your business entity. Anything short of good planning could jeopardize your business objectives.
Beyond Choice of Entity
Choice of entity is only the starting point for your new business. There may be leases to negotiate, both for premises and equipment, bank or other financing matters to resolve, a franchise agreement to pore through and dissect, employment and confidentiality agreements to consider, and more. The list of the myriad of issues which a new or existing business may, and likely will face, is long and varied. We bring a wide variety of background to counseling small business clients, allowing us to guide you through the maze of laws, regulations and issues in an economical manner. Our goals have never been, and will never be, a “one shot” representation. Our goal is to represent our business clients for the long term.
Established Companies
Once a new business is established, we continue to provide ongoing advice for the wide variety of legal issues which may be confronted by a growing business. Employment contracts and restrictive covenants, financing, corporate governance and shareholder agreements, including Buy-Sell Agreements which allow a company to remain “close” while providing liquidity to the owners, general contracts, acquisitions, mergers and divestitures, are just some of the issues a small business may need to address. Read more about our business services under Corporate Law.
This is a sampling of the small business law services provided to small- and medium-sized businesses:
- Asset Purchase Agreements
- Buy-Sell Agreements
- Capitalization Options
- “Choice of Entity” Considerations
- Contracts
- Covenants Not-to-Compete (Non-Competition Agreements)
- Employment Agreements
- Financing Options
- Initial Organizational Issues
- Leases
- Registered Agent Services
- Member/Shareholder Agreements
- Shareholder Disputes
- Tax Issues
Small Business Consulting Articles
Important Change for Employers in 2013 Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act
Beginning January 1, 2013, employers are required to provide a new version of the form entitled "Summary of Your Rights Under the FCRA" ("Summary of Rights") to individuals before taking any adverse action based on the contents of a consumer report. Importantly, the...
Minding the Mine Fields: Commercial Leases and Hidden Costs
There are so many variable expenses when starting or growing your business that there is no reason to voluntarily agree to another one, especially when it is often a major expense. That would be the cost of occupancy for your business. And the landlord should want a...
Measuring the ROI of Social Media
I just read St. Louis Small Business Monthly (May 2012)—I know I am a little behind on my reading—and Jeffery Gitomer’s article, “Measuring the ROI of Social Media? There’s a Laugh and a Joke,” touched upon some of the thoughts I have about measuring the ROI (Return...
JOBS Act – The Start of Something Big
On March 27, 2012, Congress passed the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act (the "JOBS Act"), which President Obama signed on April 5, 2012. While this is a great deal for smaller companies, many of these provisions address companies of a much larger size than our...