You might decide to close your business for a number of reasons. Perhaps it is no longer financially feasible, or maybe you are moving on to something else. Regardless of the reason, there are several legal tasks you’ll need to undertake to protect yourself, your credit, and your reputation within the community—especially if you think you might want to have another business someday.

When most people start a business, they tend to put off legal issues until other things have been dealt with. Business owners know that legal issues will require the services of a lawyer, which can be both expensive and intimidating. But the truth is that some legal issues regarding your new business should be dealt with from the start and trademarking your business name is just one example.
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Many of the entrepreneurs we talk to, spend a lot of time and money coming up with a unique brand name or logo or slogan, but then they skip the important step of actually protecting it. It is easier than you might think for someone to claim your idea as their own. The first step is to register your trademark. This article outlines the six necessary steps you will need to take to trademark your company name.

You still have a job—yet you are itching to start a business. You might wonder if you have the time to do so, or if you are even allowed to do so. The answer depends on whether you signed an employment agreement and what kind of role you have with your current employer.

Here are some considerations if you wish to join the more than 24 million Americans who dream about being their own boss.

​Forming a business entity like an LLC or a corporation typically provides limited liability protection to the owners. But in certain situations, you can find yourself personally on the hook for the debts and obligations of the business. This week we’re discussing the legal concept of “piercing the corporate veil” and why it’s used so often against small business owners.

In the midst of an ongoing pandemic and all of the questions it’s raised for employers, especially small business employers,* you may have missed a new Ohio employment law that’s about to take effect. The governor recently signed the ​​Employment Law Uniformity Act into law. As an employer, what do you need to know about this new law? What steps should you take to protect your business or nonprofit in light of these changes?

​Trademark infringement is the unauthorized use of a trademark on or in connection with goods and/or services in a manner that is likely to cause confusion, deception, or mistake about the source of the goods and/or services. But what does this mean for your small business? How can you avoid receiving a nasty cease and desist letter accusing you of infringing someone else’s trademark? And how much can a trademark mistake cost you?

If you’ve worked hard to build your client or customer base, or even put significant time and effort into training your employees or recruiting the right subcontractors, you probably want to protect that investment. Non-solicitation agreements are typically used by businesses of all sizes to ensure that their employees and subcontractors will not solicit (or run off with) the company’s customers, clients, or even other employees or contractors that the company has worked so hard to find and develop in the first place. ​