Business Startup Issues

Starting up your own business requires a lot of work.  The to-do list can seem overwhelming at times.  I’ve come up with a list below of some of the bigger issues that should be on your radar screen.  Take a look at the list and make sure you’re not missing something important that may come back and haunt you later on down the line.  If you are feeling overwhelmed, or just have questions about something on this list, give me a call, send me an email, or just leave a comment below.  I can help…

• Legal entity considerations
  • Personal liability
  • Taxes
  • Flexibility of ownership structure
  • Ownership (e.g., shareholder, member, partner) agreements
  • Corporate formalities
  • For an overview of the various entity types, see here
• Financing
  • Personal
    • Savings
    • Friends/family
    • Credit
  • Bridge financing
    • Angels
  • Institutional investors
    • Venture Capital
    • Joint ventures
• Risk management
  • Insurance
    • First party insurance
    • Liability insurance
    • Workers’ Compensation insurance
    • Directors’ and Officers’ insurance
  • Indemnification
    • Licensors
    • Licensees
    • Independent contractors
• Intellectual Property
  • Trade Secret
    • Instituting a trade secret protection program
      • Identify trade secrets
      • Secure employee commitment
        • NDA’s
        • Non-compete agreements
        • Employee education
        • Dealing with outsiders
  • Copyright
    • Registration
    • Ownership issues
  • Patent
    • Registration
    • Ownership issues
  • Trademark/dress, Service mark
    • Registration
• Contractual obligations
  • Leases
  • Licenses
    • State, local agencies
    • Fictitious business names
  • Vendor agreements
  • Customer agreements
  • Employment agreements