In Part 1 of this entry, I discussed the importance of a business owner choosing the right professional advisors to assist in the sale of the company, whether in San Jose or Palo Alto, and some of the different types of experts. Although there is overlap, advisors that assist with…
Articles Posted in Start-Ups & Financing
Bankers, Brokers and Finders, Oh My – Part 1
Every business owner at one time or another wants to sell their Silicon Valley business and move from Los Altos, Mountain View or San Jose to Tahoe or Tahiti. Being bogged down in daily operations doesn’t leave a lot of time for an owner to make the necessary contacts to…
Independent Contractor or Employee? The Wrong Answer Could Cost You
Whether your business is located in Silicon Valley or somewhere else, whenever you hire someone, that worker is either an independent contractor or an employee. Using the correct classification is crucial because federal and state governments are targeting businesses with incorrectly classified employees to collect substantial employment taxes and penalties.…
Doing It All Yourself – One of the Most Expensive Mistakes a Small Business Owner Can Make
Recently, I have been doing a lot of work with a small business owner in San Jose. The more his business grew, the more stressed out he became. His fear of adding payroll to his company’s expenses was hampering the growth of his start-up company. When you first start your…
Forming Your Own Corporation or LLC Online May Cost a Lot More Than Using a Lawyer, Part 2
In Part 1 of this entry, I discussed problems that some of my Silicon Valley clients have had with improper choice of entity – either because the tax consequences weren’t considered, or because restrictions in the California Corporations Code or Business and Professions Code were not taken into account. Here…
Forming Your Own Corporation or LLC Online May Cost a Lot More Than Using a Lawyer, Part 1
I was in Los Gatos getting my hair cut this weekend and my hairdresser said something very interesting – he said that his best clients are the ones who try to do their hair themselves (especially their color) and then come to him to fix the mess they made. He…