Especially when you first start hiring staff members, you may not recognize the importance of a thorough employment contract. Many growing businesses hiring their first staff members will use an informal system that later puts them at risk.  While it may seem like a...

When your company acquires or merges with another business, a lot of changes will occur. You may close one building and move everyone into a central location. You may adopt a new name or choose to use the established brand of one of the companies.  You will likely...

A merger is an agreement in which two businesses join together to become one legal entity. Mergers are a great way for two businesses with unique expertise and experience to come together and form a more profitable business. Done right, a business merger can be...

A business partnership can be an excellent format for a new business. It allows two or more people that share a similar vision to pool their resources and create something that they may have struggled to create on their own. Like any interpersonal relationship, a...

When you merge with another company, you create a new entity, and the old companies cease to exist. Yet, if you do not do enough preparation, you could go from two companies to none. A Harvard Business Review report puts the success rate of mergers at between 10 and...

Businesses can turn out better than expected. What you started as a weekend sideline may have reached the point where you can dedicate yourself to it full time. If this is the case, you may want to check if your current business structure is still fit for purpose....

As a business owner, you know how hard it is to win contracts, engage new clients or find a supplier you want to work with. Therefore, having spent all that time, effort and money doing so, it would be a shame to spoil it by writing an unenforceable contract. A...

Many spouses start a business together. Some met in graduate school and pursued the same profession, such as medicine, dentistry, law, architecture or engineering. Others have a shared passion and experience and decide to stop working for others and go out on their...

Possibly the greatest business risk an individual can make is forming a partnership where each partner accepts total liability for the actions of the other partner. When a partner fails to pull their weight or their actions cause harm to the company, it may be...

Starting a new business on your own may seem impossible. Having someone else there to help you can make it a much more achievable goal. A business partnership allows you and someone else to pursue a great idea while splitting the amount of investment and risk involved...