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Articles to LIFT Your Life and Business

The 4 Legal Business Agreements Every Business Owner Needs

One of the most common questions business owners want to know is what kind of legal agreements they need.  And while the answer to this question depends a lot on what kind of business you operate, there are four key legal agreements that virtually every business owner will need to protect and operate their business […]

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5 Legal Tips for Entrepreneurs

Are you thinking about launching a new business in 2014?  If so, you need to set the right legal foundation or risk costly consequences down the road.  Here are five legal tips for entrepreneurs: Find a legal adviser. The best time to have a business lawyer is when you’re just starting out.  He or she […]

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How to Protect and Defend Your Brand

Earlier this year, Microsoft was on the wrong end of an English court ruling that found the software giant had infringed on the trademark of British broadcasting company BSkyB with its SkyDrive cloud storage service.  Instead of appealing the ruling, Microsoft decided to rebrand the service. Before your company has a misstep with intellectual property […]

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How to Build a Business That Endures

If you have built a successful business and plan to leave it to your heirs or business partners, doing so is not a process that just happens naturally after you retire or die.  If you don’t have a buy-sell agreement, a business succession plan, a business transition plan or a business preservation plan in place, […]

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Organizational Structures for Socially Conscious Companies

Social consciousness at the corporate level has become an increasingly more important point of differentiation for many companies, and some companies today exist primarily to fill a social purpose.  So what is the best business structure for these companies?  There are several from which to choose: Benefit Corporations.  Seven states, including California, allow for Benefit […]

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How to Conduct the Perfect Interview

Savvy business owners know that there are few legal landmines they need to side-step when interviewing candidates for a job.  Sometimes, though, even the best get caught with their proverbial foot in the mouth by asking a question that to them seems innocent enough but could land the company in legal hot water. Here are […]

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7 Myths About Choosing a Business Entity

New business owners must weigh the pros and cons of the choices they make when it comes to choosing the right business entity for a new enterprise; Entrepreneur recently posted 7 myths that could get in the way of selecting the best business entity: An LLC saves taxes.  The Limited Liability Company (LLC) is designed […]

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Litigation Over Noncompete Agreements Up 61%

According to the Wall Street Journal, litigation over noncompete agreements has risen 61%in the past decade – a number that may be low considering most cases are settled out of court and not reported. Long considered the standard for senior management employment contracts, noncompetes are becoming increasingly common at all levels of employment as a […]

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Starting a Business? Plan for Your Own Success

According to the Kauffman Index of Entrepreneurial Activity, approximately 300 of every 100,000 U.S. adults started a business in 2012.   The Index found that over 514,000 new firms were started every month in 2012 – but how many will succeed? Of course, in business –as in life – there are no guarantees.  According to the […]

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When Do You Need to Be Considering Your Business Agreements?

If you are running your own business and not looking at agreements regularly, it’s likely you are overlooking an important piece of your business and taking unnecessary risks.  The truth is that you do not need to have written agreements to have a valid agreement, but it sure does help when there is a dispute […]

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Protecting Your Business From Personal Legal Liabilities

Most small business owners are aware of the importance of protecting their personal assets from business liabilities.  However, the reverse is just as necessary – protecting your business assets from personal legal troubles. For example, if you are at fault in a serious auto accident that injures someone and you own a business, the assets […]

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