“Michael” owned an upscale sports car business. If you wanted to purchase a slightly-used Mercedes-Benz, Ferrari, Lamborghini, or Bugatti, Michael was your guy. If you wanted to customize your car with decals, mag wheels, or other “aftermarket” accouterments, call Michael. It could be a glamorous business, but it has a small, specialized market, not known Read More

By James Chittenden People are visual by nature, so proper use of color is one of the most highly effective ways to influence people to act. From the customers’ point of view, at first glance, color may be THE simplest, but most important part of your brand; the look and feel of your business. Branding Read More

There is a very popular website for entrepreneurs which I will not name, but which offers to provide legal roadmaps to budding creators of businesses.  The home screen has a cool button which walks the user through a series of questions about the start-up venture.  The questions that are asked relate to the location of Read More

All too often in practice we see clients who seem resigned to the fact that they have to pay an attorney to resolve their problems with someone else. Here are some specific examples of people who hire me to write demand letters or to sue someone: A romantic relationship goes bad and someone has to Read More

A commonly-asked question is, “Do I need a lawyer for [insert legal service here]?”  Of course this can be a very difficult question to answer, and for us to appear to be impartial because we are in the business of providing legal services for hire.  The answer to the question can depend upon many things, Read More

Congratulations on starting your new corporation or limited liability company (LLC). If you are new to business ownership, you are rightly concerned about operating within the law. You registered a corporation or LLC in your state, got an employer identification number (EIN, and if you did not get one, get it here), and obtained whatever Read More

According to often published statistics, more than 80 percent of small businesses fail. On the surface, this is lamentable and common scapegoats for small business failure are often “the economy” or “systemic disadvantages for small businesses” or “lack of access to capital”. However, the causes for business failure are quite often preventable through sound practices, Read More

Costs to start businesses vary wildly according to industry, location, and size. Clearly, it costs more to start a car dealership than it does to start a lawn service. But when it comes to startup costs, you must plan for the unplanned. We know that business planning can be a dry subject. Check out the Read More

It’s the American Dream for some.  After decades in the corporate world, you want to semi-retire and go into business for yourself.  But unfortunately, this dream can turn into a true nightmare. I’ve seen it happen too often, and each time it breaks my heart.  Remember, by acquiring an existing business, you are taking over Read More

By James Chittenden Blogging is your tool to educate your intended audiences. It also helps with search engine optimization (SEO). Quality of blogs runs a wide gamut, as most small business owners write their own. Not everybody can blog like a pro. Besides, many owners fall behind in their blogging goals because, quite simply, they Read More