For the love of your business

Articles to LIFT Your Life and Business

Why Every New Business Needs a Lawyer & How to Find a Great One

Chances are if you are an entrepreneur, you have a little “issue” when it comes to controlling everything about your company — in other words, you find it hard to trust others when it comes to your “baby.” But unless you are an experienced business attorney, you probably don’t have the knowledge — and most […]

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Avoid These Four Common Legal Mistakes If You Own a Business

Whether you are just starting a new business or have been running a business for years, there are four common legal mistakes that both novice and seasoned entrepreneurs make that can have a significant impact on the future viability of your company: Co-mingling of business and personal finances.  You may have started your business as […]

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The Audit That Will Change the Way You Run Your Business

Most people hear the word “audit” and hit the panic button, including business owners.  But there is an incredibly powerful tool called the LIFT Foundation Audit that can change the way you run your business for the better. The LIFT (Legal, Insurance, Financial, Tax) Foundation Audit is a process we walk through with our business […]

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What You Need to Know About Liens and Your Business

Business owners who take out loans for equipment, property or working capital need to understand how liens can affect their business in terms of the potential problems they can cause and what should be avoided. Lenders usually file liens on business loans; these liens are filed in succession and a lender always wants to be […]

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Avoid These Top 10 Mistakes New Small Business Owners Make

A New York Times article lists the top rookie mistakes entrepreneurs often make when starting a business, and with our years of experience in helping entrepreneurs capitalize on new business opportunities, many of them ring true.  Here’s the list: Hiring a good friend or family member. When it comes to hiring staff for your new […]

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How to Tell if You Have What It Takes to Run a Business

If you are working for someone else, there has probably been a time or two you have wondered if you have what it takes to start your own business.  Not everyone is wired to be an entrepreneur, especially when it comes to taking risks to launch your own venture. There are pros and cons to […]

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Supreme Court Sides With Businesses on Patent Troll Litigation

Two recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions came down firmly on the side of businesses beleaguered by patent troll litigation, making it easier for those businesses to recoup legal fees for frivolous suits and establishing new review rules for the Federal Court of Appeals. In its unanimous decision in Octane Fitness, LLC v. Icon Health & […]

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6 Situations Where a Corporation or LLC Will NOT Protect Your Personal Assets

Setting up your business as a corporation or a limited liability company (LLC) is a great way to go for most entrepreneurs, since incorporating protects personal assets from business liabilities, helps lower taxes and ensures the longevity of your business. However, as a recent article at Entrepreneur.com reminds us, there are six situations where a […]

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How to Protect Your Legacy With a Business Succession Plan

Our state is rich with families who have started businesses here and watched them thrive through the generations.  However, there are also many examples of family businesses that have failed to weather the changes in generational management and ceased to exist.  In many cases, this could have been avoided through careful business succession planning. A […]

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How Employers Can Avoid Wrongful Termination Litigation

A recent Wall Street Journal survey on how small business owners are coping with the new healthcare law found that almost a third of those surveyed (29%) have been forced to make staff cuts. Unstable market conditions and economic pressures can force a business to dismiss or lay off employees, and employers should be aware […]

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How to Raise the Next Generation of Business Owners

If you own a small business, there is probably at least some part of you hoping to pass the reins on to one or more of your children.  After all, spending so much time and effort on something that’s not going to last doesn’t sit well with most entrepreneurs. It may be difficult to look […]

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