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
The Twenty Dollar Bill Quiz
Can you name the president pictured on a twenty dollar bill? If that same $20 is spent by a service company to pay an individual house cleaner, would it be considered wages? What if a paralegal works a night shift at home writing a marketing brochure? Can she bill her...
LLC or S-Corp? (Or, Why The Barber May Not Be Right)
Many individuals embarking on starting their own businesses have a preconceived idea that they want to form a limited liability company (LLC ) instead of an S-Corporation. Often, and I am not making this up, their opinions arise from conversations with barbers!...
Dinner, Drinks and a Game—How Deductible Is It?
On a recent business trip to Indianapolis, you decide to take a client out for dinner, drinks and to a Pacers' game. It’s win-win: you have a good time and you use the opportunity to earn some goodwill to promote your business. It's a no-brainer that that expense is...
Restrictive Covenants in Employment Agreements
Employment agreements have become a popular tool in the business world, in both big and small business. Employment agreements establish vital terms and avoid misunderstandings such as “at-will” or other termination provisions. Most employment agreements will contain...
