What Do You Buy?

Last time, we took a look around to see if people are actually buying handmade soap. We found my friend from kindergarten and some other sellers on Etsy. But, does that really answer Gary’s second question? Who else is selling a competing product, and at what price?  Not really. It is just saying that some … Read more

Is Anyone Out There?

Back to our little soap opera. What dilemma is our start-up hero facing today? Last time, we discussed what it is that we want to sell: Handmade soap. The next question is: Does anyone need or want what you are planning to sell? Wow. Harsh reality hits fast and hard. Just because I want to … Read more

Restraints of Trade Come in Many Flavors

We get a ton of questions about “non-competes” at OGS. In legal terms, a “non-compete” is a specific kind of “restraint of trade” that is governed by Wis. Stat. Sec. 103.465. However, the type of “restraint of trade” that is right for you and your business may not be a “non compete” and could be … Read more

Let’s ‘Paws’ for a Moment to Talk More About Soap

Last time in my soap opera, I discussed professionals that I would need to talk to before I started any soap business. I received a nice email from Gary Barber, a committed volunteer at the Madison Chapter of SCORE. He proposed that his first steps are not the professionals, but rather something else: My first … Read more

Good Clean Fun

If you have heard me present lately, you will know that I have started to make soap. I have gone full nerd on it using graduated cylanders and all. It has been fun to build a new knowledge set, bust out my old chemistry and lab skills, and try out a whole bunch of fragrances. … Read more

Pick Your Fight

We’ve all seen the legal dramas on TV where the lawyers storm into court with vicious questioning and killer closing arguments. But in the real world, most disputes don’t end up in court. Many go to what is called “alternative dispute resolution” or ADR. The two most common of those are arbitration and mediation. Arbitration … Read more

S-Corps

S-Corporations are a popular form of business “entity”, but what does it really mean and are there special rules you should know about? In this post, we discuss the basics of S-Corps, and, in two weeks, we explore what an “S election” means for your business in the long run.  S-Corp basics: First things first, … Read more

Stand for Something…or Fall for My Perfume

Speaking at the Deutsche Bank Global Consumer Conference, Unilever’s CEO Alan Jope said: “We believe the evidence is clear and compelling that brands with purpose grow. In fact, we believe this so strongly that we are prepared to commit that in the future, every Unilever brand will be a brand with purpose.”  That seems to … Read more