When setting up a company, whether it is an LLC, corporation, non-stock corporation, or any of the other options, we always need to include the identity of the company’s registered agent in the Articles of Incorporation and Annual Report and update that information if it ever changes. Each company (again no matter what kind or … Read more
A trade secret is something that gives a company a competitive advantage because others in the industry do not know the same thing. It could be a recipe, a formula, a compilation of data, an algorithm, computer code, and more. It is whatever can be used to gain an edge over competitors by being the … Read more
Photo: © 2008 flikr, flikr2639, licensed by Creative Commons You are looking for a nice photograph to take your website from “meh” to “yeah!” After tooling around, you find the perfect one on someone else’s website. It has everything you could hope for in a photo. It is pretty, professional, and just the right amount … Read more
As you drive though the green, rolling hills in the farmland in southwestern Wisconsin, you pass through small towns that proudly tout their local high school’s last state championship. In these towns, you find a lot of small businesses from ranging cafes to farm implement stores. If you enter Fennimore on Highway, if you look … Read more
I often get asked, “Now that I am an LLC or corporation, I am completely, 100% protected from personal liability, right?” Well, um, how do I put this delicately? Uh, no. No, you are not. “Wait, what!?” It is because the company isn’t an impenetrable shield. It is more like a really high wall that … Read more
We are involved in a lot of organizations that discuss, encourage and teach about investing in companies. Today, we’ll be attending the Wisconsin Innovation Network Lunch in Madison where Greg Piefer, the founder and chief executive officer of SHINE Medical Technologies, will discuss SHINE’s journey from a campus medical physics laboratory to federal approval of … Read more
Last week, we discussed why you would want to be a statutory entity. The two most common choices are limited liability companies (“LLC”) or corporations – whether that is an S-corp. or a C-corp. Each are controlled by their very own set of statutes. Chapter 183 details the rules and defaults for LLC’s while Chapter … Read more
Congratulations! You have decided to start a business on your own. That is awesome! Go forth and conquer; you got this. But be ready for battle. As those maps of early explorers pointed out: Here there be dragons. Suit up accordingly. One of the easiest and arguably most important thing to carry is a shield. … Read more
We just arrived home from a two-week trip to Japan. Almost every day, I did at least one thing that some would say I should be embarrassed to admit: I went to Starbucks. Every single day. And I don’t feel bad one little bit. Do you know why? Because my day just goes better if … Read more
I have been in Kyoto, Japan, for the past week, and one thing that keeps coming up is that stuff has been here for a long time. Like centuries upon centuries long. And not just things like a stone statute or wall, but buildings made of wood. If something happens to an edifice (and with … Read more