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Summertime has come and passed. It was a busy August in terms of news, with Hurricane Irene soaking the New York area, Steve Jobs relinquishing the CEO position at Apple and an ugly jobs report. Hopefully you escaped to a sunny destination or traveled to a far off land.
Since we are all back at work, now is an ideal time to look at what is really important for your business. If you are starting a new business you need to have goals. Goals are a vital to the success of any business. A goal is an outcome that you wish for that is measurable, actionable and specific.
If your goal is to have the best business in the world, you know that you need a first class product, great design and productive employees. A world class company also has their legal house in order. Do you?
- REVIEW YOUR INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY. Is the name of your company trademarked? If you created a YouTube video did you copyright it?
- REVIEW YOUR CONTRACTS. I have drafted many agreements for my clients that they use over and over again. Since laws change, your contracts may be outdated. If the services you have provided have changed, an inaccurate description in your agreement can cause headaches down the road.
- EMPLOYMENT LAW REVIEW. If you recently increased the hours of your tech consultant to over 30 hours, she may be considered an employee rather than an independent contractor. How about OSHA regulations, employment taxes?
- IS YOUR ADVERTISING IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE LAW? If you have an ongoing advertising campaign, be aware that there are rules you need to comply with. Under the FTC act
- Advertising must be truthful and non-deceptive;
- Advertisers must have evidence to back up their claims; and
- Advertisements cannot be unfair.
- BUSINESS SUCCESSION PLANS. Whether you run your business alone or have partners, you need to have a business succession plan in place. What happens to your business if you become incapacitated? If you have a business partner, what happens if she wants to leave the company?
This is an opportunity for you to make a difference in your entire life. You don’t need to be hit by a Honda Accord in order to focus on what is legally important for your business. Each time that you implement just one of the above legal goals, you will make a difference in your business.
The Law Office of Frederic R. Abramson represents businesses in New York. You can reach me at 212-233-0666
