You’ve decided to start a new business. Congratulations! Where do you go from here? Do you hire a business lawyer or do you need an accountant? An accountant will certainly help you with your taxes when you are ready to do so. But how do you decide what kind of entity you should be? You’ve heard of limited liability companies, but you’re not sure this works for your business. Everyone seems to have an S-corp. Is this what you need? What you really need is to find a good business lawyer. A good business lawyer will help you understand the myriad decisions you will need to make for your business and will help you to start off on the right track.
Depending on the type of business you have and the number of investors in your business, you will need to talk with a business lawyer about entity formation, copyright or trademarks, insurance and other ways to protect your personal assets. The money you invest in a good business lawyer at the beginning of your business, will save you significant money down the line. Here are a few ways a business lawyer can help you:
1. Entity Formation. In California, we like to advise our new business owners to form an LLC – a limited liability company (unless this is not available for your type of business, such as a licensed contractor). The main reason is simple: experience shows that most small businesses will not hold annual meetings and keep minutes. Failure to keep up corporate formalities as a corporation can have devastating effects. A creditor can “pierce the corporate veil” and a court could find you personally liable for the corporation’s liabilities. With an LLC, the failure to have meetings and keep minutes is not considered a reason to pierce the corporate veil in an LLC. A good business attorney will talk with you about the type of entity right for your business and assist with setting up the company correctly.
2. Trademarks. If you work hard to come up with a name or design a logo, don’t you want to protect it? By filing for a trademark with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, you can protect that name or logo. And a business lawyer will help you to understand the important of doing this first – rather than waiting until you have established your business. The worst thing you can do is spend a lot of money marketing your brand, just to find someone else has registered that name – or a similar name before you.
3. Contracts. Contracts for each small business is a must. Some people feel that they can download contracts from a website, but do you know who wrote the contract? Do you know who it was written for? What state law applies? It is not a good idea to start your business with a contract from the internet. Let a good business lawyer prepare the contract you need for your business. Intellectual Property. Is your business a media, design, or another type of creative business? If so, you will find it much easier to deal with trademarks and copyright protection registrations if you have a lawyer. Even if your attorney does not normally handle intellectual property, they will have referrals for you so you can find the right intellectual property specialist for your business. Normally, these will be people the lawyer has worked with before and can recommend based on prior experience.
4. Insurance. Insurance is required for a business, but it is not enough. You need to have a business entity to protect your home and personal assets. Hiring an attorney for your small business may not seem to be a requirement if you’re not facing any legal battles. This is not true! You want an attorney who is familiar with you and your business, so if you do end up in a legal mess, they’ll be able to smooth it out. Hopefully, before it ends up in court.
5. DBA. Some people use a DBA for their business name. This is good to have and a business attorney can help you with the filings required.
It is crucial for new business owners to hire a good business lawyer to assist them in setting up their business. You want your business to be successful, so be sure to start off with the advice of someone who understands what your business needs.
Search Results Archives: October 2011
Why You Need a Business Lawyer to Help You Start Your New Business
Nigeria Country Profile 2009- Aarkstore Enterprise
Nigeria has now outpaced South Africa to emerge as the largest mobile telecom market in Africa in 2008. It had 66.4 million mobile subscribers at the end of June 2009, representing a penetration rate of 44.3%. Mobile connections have soared at an average growth rate of 89.4% over the past 5 years and now represent 97.9% of all telephone lines in the country.
This 32-page report will give you a complete snap-shot of Nigeria’s telecom environment, providing you with all the information you need to be successful in this market.
It initially defines the country’s economic and political environment keeping you abreast of any events that could impact the business environment in the near future. It then provides an overview of the country’s regulatory environment, including information on regulators, ministries and the liberalisation status of each telecom markets. In this section, you will also come across the country’s WTO commitments as well as the latest regulatory events.
The telecom statistics and forecast section for 2004-2013 is filled with valuable data on telecom revenues, telecom investments as well as number of subscribers, penetration and growth for the fixed, mobile, Internet and broadband markets. It also contains International traffic and rates information.
This exclusive report then provides you with an analysis of the countrys competitive environment, analyzing the fixed, mobile and Internet markets in terms of players, number of subscribers, market share. It also covers the trends and key events in each sector.
Last but not least, it also provides you with a detailed profile of NITEL, Zain Nigeria, MTN Nigeria and Starcomms, giving you information on their latest activities, key contacts, service offering, financial and market shares.
For more information please visit :
http://www.aarkstore.com/reports/Nigeria-country-profile-2009-33576.html
Will the Cleveland Cavs Win a Championship in 2010?
They came oh so close in 2007. Having made their first NBA finals, the Cleveland Cavaliers appeared to be destined for greatness. Even though they were swept by the Spurs that season, LeBron James was young and constantly improving his game.
2008 came around, and the Boston Celtics had a bolstered roster that was simply too strong for the Cleveland Cavs. They nearly defeated them, but Boston marched on and captured an NBA title under the leadership of Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Ray Allen.
During the 2008-2009 season, the Cavs looked like the team to beat. Boasting the best home record in the NBA (they had a 39-2 home record), the Cleveland Cavaliers also had the best record in the NBA. A 66-16 finish gave them the top seed in the Eastern Conference and home court advantage throughout the entire playoffs. It looked like it’d be the year for Cleveland.
Unfortunately, the team’s run was spoiled by the Orlando Magic. This left Cleveland fans wondering if Dwight Howard and the Magic had the Cavs’ number, and what could be done about this.
Surely, the team was lacking in the big man department. Enter Shaquille O’Neal. The Cavs now enjoy the presence of the big man on their roster, and will look to use his physical prowess and playoff experience to bring home an NBA title. There’s a lot on the line, and the Celtics and Magic have both made some big moves themselves during the off season.
This may or may not be enough, but one thing’s for sure. The Cavs are stronger this year than they were last year. And that’s scary.
Plastic Surgery – The Good, Bad and the Ugly
Reality TV has turned plastic surgery into a form of entertainment and made it mainstream. It can be fun to check out the gossip websites and magazines critiquing the latest celebrity plastic surgery undertaking – both the well done ones, but especially those with unnatural or extreme results.
But for anyone considering plastic surgery for them, they may be wondering how some turn out so bad and some turn out so good. Well, these days you can know in advance, with software available to show you a snapshot of the potential results from your desired surgery.
The medical specialty of plastic surgery deals with the correction or restoration of form and function. The word plastic, used here, derives from the Greek word plastikos meaning to mold or to shape. It is not connected with the synthetic polymer or meant to imply an artificial appearance.
The practice includes not only aesthetic procedures but for treatment of burns, reconstruction and correction of medical deformities. Although the aesthetic side gets most of the attention, the majority of plastic surgeon performs both types, though they likely specialize in certain procedures.
More than 12 million cosmetic procedures are performed in the U.S. from the well known breast augmentation and liposuction to more specific procedures such as chin implants and cheek augmentations. Most patients are still women, but surgeries on men are increasing at a fast pace.
While men do not seem to be as motivated to maintain their looks as women, procedures like liposuction, eyelifts and facelifts are popular with men seeking to look younger as a way to stay more competitive in the work place.
The professional organization, The American Society of plastic surgeons was created in 1967 to advance and promote the practice. They also serve as a resource for locating and investigate potential doctors, although a state’s medical board is still the official source for checking credentials.
What separates a patient who is satisfied with their procedure from one who is not? According to doctors, patients who are well informed and realistic about their procedure are happy they did it.
Those who are lured by hype and promises such as “short scar” or “no downtime” tend to be disappointed. A good, professional doctor will be clear with you about whether or not you can receive your expected results and are a good candidate for a procedure. They know that plastic surgery will not change your overall appearance so a patient must be comfortable with themselves in order to fully appreciate the benefits.
Tips In Looking For Furnished Houses For Rent
Looking for houses for rent is not exactly a walk-in-the-park. There are a lot of things to consider before you can get comfortably settled in your new rental home. The monthly rental, location, the general condition of the house, and the leasing agreement are just some of the more important factors to think about when looking for a place to call home. This is even made a bit more challenging if you are thinking of looking for an already furnished house. You will have to find out just which utility costs, linens, kitchenware, and other furnishings are already included in the rental package. You will also have to review the leasing agreement carefully regarding the conditions on the furnishings in the house.
Here are some tips to bear in mind when looking for furnished houses for rent:
When looking for a furnished house for rent, take into consideration the location, safety, space requirements, and rental costs. More importantly, determine ahead of time the types of items or furnishings that you need for your rental home.
Begin your search for furnished rental homes in local newspapers or websites online. Should you find prospects that look promising, give the homeowners a call and ask for the specifications of the apartment or house being offered for rent. Determine if the houses for rent that you are choosing from have the basic appliances and pieces of furniture that you need for a comfortable stay.
Set a schedule for touring the property. Allot enough time for the house viewing so that you will be able to check everything you need to check once you are already there.
During your visit, make a thorough inspection of the house. When you have set your sights for a furnished house, ensure that you do a complete check of the appliances and furniture pieces inside. You might end up paying for a previously damaged appliance or having an existing defect subtracted from your deposit when you decide to move out if you are not careful.
Do not forget to have all verbal agreements that you and the landowner of the house for rent have agreed upon to be included in writing in the leasing agreement. It can be very difficult to ask for help or pursue the landlord when he fails to deliver his part of a verbal bargain.
Considering all these tips when looking for furnished houses for rent is important to ensure that you will find the right house and have a good stay.
