This article explores the history of franchising in the United States. The article covers the origins of the franchising concept in this country (with Singer sewing machines) through to its rise (coinciding with the exodus to suburbia), a...
This article shares three lessons learned in establishing a successful law practice and generalizes them to apply to building any new business. The three key points so summarized involve making sure where you expend effort actually adds value...
Performing due diligence is as important when buying a franchise as it is for any other type of investment. This article suggests one valuable (but often underused) source of information in the diligence process: existing and former...
Commercial leases are often complicated (especially when compared with residential leases); this article seeks to remove some of this complexity by highlighting the clauses in their lease with which a commercial tenant should be most concerned. ...
IRS Form 8938 involves the reporting of certain specified foreign assets, as required under the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act. This article explains who needs to file this form, what needs to be reported on the form, and when taxpayers...
This article provides a survey of the types of entities from which you can choose when starting your own business. Entities profiled include sole proprietorships, partnerships, S-Corporations, C-Corporations, LLCs and LLPs. The article...
Family owned businesses raise a number of special issues not present in larger enterprises. One such issue involves succession planning, and that is where this article comes in. This article provides a number of ideas to consider when...
The most recent round of patent reform mandated that the United States Patent and Trademark Office conduct certain studies and present the findings to Congress. This article highlights the hearings to be held over a study on the effects of...
The America Invents Act, signed into law by President Obama in 2011, signalled a major change in America's patent system. This article highlights a series of releases by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, the agency charged with implementing...
A franchise opportunity is much like any business opportunity--before you invest your money and commit to investing a large block of time, you should make sure that it will provide an adequate return for such an investment. This article...