Starting a business requires good planning and rapid execution in many different areas of the law. A great idea is worth a lot, properly protected and with a business structure that facilitates its development. It isn’t worth much if the legal form leaves it vulnerable, impedes its marketing or sale, or lessens the interest investors may have in it. Running a business is supposed to be fun as well as profitable. Let us help you get it started and keep it running smoothly.
What are your business goals? Will you have partners or other shareholders? Will they be active or passive? How will you resolve disputes among them? Do you need to raise money now or in the near future? In the U.S. or internationally? How will those investors be rewarded? How many employees will you have? Where will they be located? How will you motivate them to help the business grow? When do you project profitability? Is the core of the business intellectual property? These questions and more should be considered as you structure the business and the relationships among the people who will make the business work. The answers to them will help determine the appropriate form of the business and the necessary agreements among the parties.
We’ve been forming corporations, LLCs and partnerships for new businesses for years. We know the questions to ask and the pitfalls to avoid when selecting the type of entity that will best serve the business, whether it’s a C Corporation, an S Corporation, a limited liability company, or another form of partnership.
Once the entity choice is determined, we prepare and file all necessary business formation documents and we assist owners in preparing the documentation required to contribute assets and intellectual property to the business in a way that owners, investors, and customers can rely on.
The formation of a business is the time to also consider other matters that might occur in the future, like the desire of an owner to sell shares or of the business to issue more shares or interests, the death of a co-owner, or the potential differences that can crop up between owners. We help business owners by drafting shareholder and similar agreements that provide ways to resolve those issues and help prevent them from arising in the first place.
Bring us your business plan and let’s get started!