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Articles to LIFT Your Life and Business

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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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 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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What Employers Need to Know About Employee Privacy Laws

Because of increasing regulatory scrutiny of privacy laws, employers should take extra care in safeguarding personnel files and medical records as you would any other confidential company information. Employers should keep personnel files stored securely in a locked cabinet, and make them available only to managers or supervisors who have a legitimate business reason to […]

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Businesses Owners Take Caution When Developing Social Media Policies

There are currently 13 states with laws governing an employer’s access to employees’ personal social media accounts, and 20 other states have similar legislation pending.  According to recent research, 73% of American adult Internet users also use social media, so it is probably a good bet that most of your employees are on social media. […]

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Are Your Suppliers Putting Your Business Security at Risk?

Retail giant Target suffered a massive data breach last December that eroded its reputation and its bottom line.  How did this happen?  Apparently, hackers gained access to Target’s IT infrastructure via a third-party HVAC contractor that was connected to their network. This security disaster illustrates the risk that many businesses face when contracting with third […]

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Common Situations That Create Unenforceable Contracts

When your company enters into a contract with another entity or person, both parties are expected to fulfill the contract terms.  However, there are some situations where a contract can be found to be legally unenforceable because of these reasons: Lack of capacity – if one of the parties lacks the ability to understand what […]

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$150,000 Risk: Know the Difference Between an Employee and an Independent Contractor

The IRS and State Governments have both stepped up their enforcement action against business owners who misclassify employees as independent contractors. One friend of ours was just fined $150,000 for Worker’s Comp Fraud stemming from a misclassification of employees as Independent Contractors.  Knowing this, it is imperative for you to know the difference when it […]

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6 Tips To Help Small Business Owners Avoid Employee Lawsuits

Small businesses can ill afford litigation – not only because of the cost, but also for the time and attention lawsuits can divert from your business.  Here are six tips to help you avoid one of the most prevalent sources of business litigation:  employee lawsuits. Adhere to nonexempt status. If employees work more than 40 […]

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8 Steps to Hiring a Good Business Lawyer

If you’ve never hired an attorney for your business, you are probably wondering how you would evaluate whether or not they would be a good fit for your company and could deliver the services you need at a price you’re willing to pay. Here are 8 things to consider when hiring a business attorney for […]

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