John Hancock knew how to sign his name- so large that King George could read it without his glasses. But could he sign for a corporation as effectively? Most small business folks who do business today as a corporation are clueless when it comes to signing contracts on behalf of their corporation. When they sign […]
Silicon Valley Horror Story: The Business Credit Card That Bit
I’ve long said that there is no credit card for which a real, live human being isn’t liable. (That may be an exaggeration, but not by much.) And I’ve long worried about the prospects for success of business startups financed on credit cards. But I’ve never seen a departing employee of a start up stuck […]
5 Small Business Mistakes That Thwart Success
In recognition of National Small Business Week, we look at what a bankruptcy lawyer knows about business. Everyone tells you what to do to succeed in business; you also need to know what not to do if you don’t want to fail. Running your own business is the classic American dream. It’s romantic and heroic. […]
How Guarantors Can Escape Tax On Soured Debt
Tax lawyer Bill Purdy and I shared a client with a small interest in a failed corporation with a huge SBA loan. Could our client escape the tax consequences should we be able to settle his liability on a million dollars in unpaid loan. Was the client looking at a million dollars of cancellation of […]
Business Bankruptcy Depends On Who You Are
While knowing who you are may be central to philosophy and mental health, you wouldn’t think it poses a difficult question in a business bankruptcy. You wouldn’t think the word “you” would be so challenging. Yet, small business owners find it hard to separate themselves from the business, even when that business is incorporated. After […]
Tax Filing Extension Invites Tax Trouble For The Self Employed
We never make tax deposits for our small business because we don’t know what we’ll owe. We just wait til the return is prepared and try to pay then, he explained. But, again this October, he couldn’t write a tax check for a year’s worth of income. So the client sitting across the table from […]
Three Cheers For Entrepreneurs
Let’s hear it for entrepreneurs. Those brave, tireless people with a dream who start or run small businesses. They possess more energy and perseverance than most of us. They form the backbone of our economy. In honor of National Entrepreneurs Day, November 20th, let’s recap Soapbox’s best on being in business for yourself. It’s probably […]
Your Business Partnership Needs A Prenup
Financial partnerships are at least as challenging as marriages. And business deals don’t have love to smooth the rough spots in the relationship. The traditional marriage service ends with the charge that what God has joined together, let no man put asunder. That’s great with love, but not so great with money. Something will likely asunder […]
How Your Property Gets Sold In Your Partner’s Bankruptcy
It isn’t just marriage that can get you roped in to a bankruptcy case that isn’t your own. Own community property and a bankruptcy filing by your spouse or your soon-to-be ex can drag you into a bankruptcy court. But the issue is broader: joint ownership of any kind of asset in any state, community […]
Four Essential Habits For Successful Entreprenuership
Starting out in business for yourself? Congratulations. Small business, and businesses that were once small, form the tapestry of our economy. I’ve run my own small business for coming 40 years and my favorite clients in my business are other small business people. But, in the euphoria and exhaustion of starting up, don’t put off doing […]
