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The Stupidest Mistake Startups and Small Businesses Make

In Colorado, creating a new business entity is simple. It costs $50 and takes fifteen to twenty minutes to set up online. But just because it’s simple doesn’t mean people don’t get it wrong. In fact, many thousands of people get it wrong every year. In Colorado, every Limited Liability Company is required to include … Read More

VC Exits vs. Early Exits

Venture capitalists get lots of attention, and for good reason. Most of them possess an elite intelligence and pedigree combined with machete-sharp business acumen. The super rich trust them to find “the next big thing,” and they’re willing to pay VCs huge management fees to invest hundreds of millions of dollars on their behalf. It’s … Read More

An Analogy on Negotiation

I volunteer as a Guardian Ad Litem with the Rocky Mountain Children’s Law Center. Basically, what this means is that when there is an incident of alleged domestic violence that involves a restraining order and there are children included in the order, I investigate what’s happened to ensure that the children’s rights are protected. Sometimes, … Read More

When Does an S Corp Make Sense?

An S corporation is a business entity that combines many of the advantages of an LLC with the advantages of a corporation. Practically, the biggest hurdle for someone looking to start a corporation is the problem of double taxation. That is, paying taxes for the activities of the corporation and also for profits that are … Read More

Why Partnerships and Sole Proprietorships Rarely Makes Sense Today

According to the IRS, there are five types of business entities: Sole Proprietorships, Partnerships, Corporations, S Corporations, and Limited Liability Companies. Many state statutes allow for additional entities, such as Limited Liability Partnerships and L3Cs (You can register in Colorado as the former, not the latter). For the majority of entrepreneurs, the only real choices … Read More

Random State Incorporation is a Bad Idea

When I think of businesses that incorporate in any state other than their home state or Delaware, the expression that comes to mind is “too clever by half.” Unless there is a law prohibiting your business from operating in your home state or Delaware (for example, Amazon refuses to allow companies incorporated in certain states … Read More

Denver Startup Week Event – September 19th, 2013

Instead of the meetup at our normal time, in September, Legal Issues for Startups and Entrepreneurs will be hosting an event this year at Denver Startup Week. On Thursday, September 19th, at the offices of Polsinelli, PC, at 1515 Wynkoop, Suite 600 in LoDo, at 9 am, there will be a presentation and panel on … Read More