Let’s Just Put Them on Salary

This is a short post to make a short, but important point: Remember: The default rule, in the eyes of the government, is that your employees are paid hourly, and therefore entitled to overtime. Just deciding to “put the employee on salary” to avoid paying overtime is not how it works. Employers don’t get to … Read more

Specimens: The Trademark Kind

Are you thinking about registering a trademark with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (the “USPTO”)? Registering a trademark can be a very smart and effective decision for your business, but it isn’t quite as simple as you might think it is. To register a trademark you need to provide a considerable amount of … Read more

Decision Fatigue, or I Don’t Care What’s For Supper

I’ve been doing some research lately about the concept of decision fatigue.  What can I say, I’m a nerd.  But I have found it fascinating.  Decision fatigue is the idea that people get tired of making decisions, and as such either stop making them or are more likely to make poor decisions.  There is actually … Read more

Getting Off on the Right Foot: Steps to Take After Forming Your Company

Creating your Corporation or LLC is the first step towards the success of your new enterprise. But, as every entrepreneur already knows, creating the corporation (i.e. “mailing it in”), is only the first step. Here are a few additional items you should think about after your Articles of Incorporation have been filed with the WDFI. … Read more

Protect Your Blog!

A few years back I went through a blogging phase. Around the same time I had fallen deeply in love with thesauruses and chose to fill my blog with an abundance of overdramatic and ill-fitting words like “hullabaloo.” One thing was certain, my blog was never the cause of any kind of hullabaloo. I’m fairly certain my parents were … Read more

No, Your Wisconsin Liquor Store/Tavern/Restaurant/Bar Cannot Direct Ship To Consumers.

Since I’ve gotten calls on this twice in the past two weeks, maybe it is good public information. No, your Wisconsin Liquor Store/Tavern/Restaurant/Bar cannot direct ship to consumers. It is certainly not legal to direct ship to consumers in Wisconsin. Wisconsin Statutes Chapter 125 requires “face-to-face” sales and prohibits delivery direct to consumers from any … Read more

On the Back of a Napkin

I’ve written about this topic before, but it keeps reasserting itself in client questions, comments, and requests on a regular basis – so, I suppose it’s time to write about it again. “We want a quick one page agreement.” “Collin, I need a simple commercial lease, no more than three pages.” “They don’t like written … Read more

Resolved: The Importance of Corporate Resolutions

For a relatively short and simple document, a corporate resolution can be of the utmost importance. The use of corporate resolutions is imperative to the lawful continuation of your business. So today, I am going to walk you through the basics of corporate resolutions and why they are so important. What is a corporate resolution? … Read more