Have you ever thought of a unique product or service that might provide the basis for a profitable business? Or maybe, you observed the manner in which an existing company offers a particular product or service and thought you could dramatically improve on it. No matter where the creative spark is born, an idea for a product, service, or new company must be carefully analyzed and researched before jumping with both feet into full-scale sales. Along the way, a qualified business attorney can help you identify and address potential concerns, leaving you free to focus on developing your concept.
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Continue Reading 4 Tips for Creating a Winning Business Idea

No matter what your chosen industry may be, your customers or clients represent the very reason for your company’s existence. If there was no one to buy your products or services, offering them would be completely pointless. For many business owners, including a large number of my clients, offering world-class customer service is a top priority, which helps to build client relationships and improve customer satisfaction. When a customer relationship sours, however, it can be very easy to take the situation personally, especially if the customer takes his or her concerns to the internet. It is important to understand…
Continue Reading Keep Negative Online Reviews in Perspective

For a first-time business owner, the prospect of buying a business can be quite overwhelming. You may not be certain where to start, what to do next, or even if you are making the right choice. That is why it is so important to work closely with an experienced business lawyer. A knowledgeable attorney can help you ensure that you have considered all of the necessary details and put in the best position for long-term success. As you consider your options for buying a business, there are very important things you should be keeping at the forefront of your mind.
Continue Reading 3 Important Considerations for Those Considering Buying a Business

Brand development and recognition are crucial components of any successful business. For many business owners, building a recognizable brand involves creating visually appealing logos, insignias, or other images that current and prospective customers can associate with you and your products. These images can legally be linked to your brand by securing trademark protections afforded by the federal government.
Sometimes, however, another individual or company will create a logo or image that is similar enough to yours that create customer confusion regarding the two brands. Legal action may be necessary to clear up the potential confusion, and such action sometimes takes…
Continue Reading How Can I Protect My Trademark From Dilution?

When you own a successful business, you have a number of options regarding how to keep your company growing. You could create an outlet for internet sales, expand your current physical location or open a second one. If you already have several locations or you believe that the day-to-day operations of multiple sites is not something you are interested in doing, you may want to consider franchising your business. Franchising may be an especially attractive idea if you have established your company’s name a local or regional leader in your industry.
In my practice as a business planning attorney,…
Continue Reading Growing Your Company: Is Franchising the Next Step?

Building a successful business requires you to invest tremendous amounts of time, energy, and money, often at great personal sacrifice. It is understandable, and even admirable, that you would wish to protect those investments in every way possible. For this reason, you may be considering having some or all of your employees sign a non-compete agreement so they cannot take what they have learned from your company and use it in competition against you for a period of time following the end of their employment with you. I am asked about non-compete agreements on a regular basis in my practice,…
Continue Reading Should I Have My Employees Sign a Non-Compete Agreement?

Are you tired of working hard so that someone else can earn a few extra dollars in profit? Would it not be more gratifying if your extra hard work resulted in more money in your own pocket instead? Almost everyone who has ever punched a clock has dreamed of opening his or her own business one day, yet only a small percentage ever take the leap and make their dreams a reality.
In my practice as a business law attorney, I have helped hundreds of prospective business owners objectively analyze their situations to determine if starting a new company would be…
Continue Reading Should I Open My Own Business?

When you own a company, you have probably invested a great deal in the products or services that you offer. Similarly, hiring, training, and professionally developing a team of employees requires significant investment as well. Across the country and around the world, however, employee theft and fraud present serious problems for small business owners, collectively costing companies billions of dollars. As a business law attorney, I understand the impact the actions of your staff can have on your business and my team can help you develop a strategy for deterring employee theft before it becomes a major issue for…
Continue Reading 4 Tips on How to Prevent and Deter Employee Theft