No, You Don’t Need a Holding Company for Your Startup

One question I seem to be hearing more often from prospective clients lately: “How do I set up a holding company for my startup?” The answer is you don’t. Or, perhaps more precisely, you shouldn’t. A holding company is a company that owns other companies. The classic and most successful example is Berkshire Hathaway, the … Read More

Startup Checklist

The Ultimate Startup Checklist

By combing the Interwebs, poring through my personal library, and applying my own experience in working with more than 100 startups, I’ve compiled this checklist of 25 items to review and consider as you launch your startup. I hope you find it useful. Decide whether starting a business is right for you and what kind … Read More

Questions to Ask When Starting a Business

The most important legal consideration when you are starting a business is to make sure that everyone knows where they stand with the company. The next step is to make sure that there is clear, written documentation of everyone’s status in the company. To do this correctly, first you have to consider all the relevant … 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