November 30, 2014
Don’t get sloppy: Handle transactions properly to preserve your personal ties. You’re ready to launch your new business. Your credit cards are tapped out, you rent your apartment (making you ineligible for a home equity line of credit), your personal credit’s less than stellar and your bank is not interested in lending you money for your new venture–at least, not yet. At first it may seem you’ve run out of financing options. But don’t forget about the loan source nearly 10 percent of Americans benefit from: family and friends. Financing from family and friends definitely has its advantages. They’re often willing to be flexible on financing terms. And the interest you pay them for the loan could be well below the interest rate on a bank loan or credit card. But there’s an added obligation when raising money from family and friends: the need to preserve the personal relationship. You want to be more careful–not less–that you handle the investment properly. After all, if you default on a bank loan, the bank doesn’t take it…
Continue ReadingIn a question that seems more appropriate for The Ethicist (the New York Times Sunday Magazine’s Q&A column on ethical issues), David Eddie from the Globe and Mail presents the following scenario: [After 15 years…
Read MoreImagine: You’re standing at a computer terminal in the basement of the County Clerk’s Office. Wondering if you’ve fallen into your own version of a Direct TV ad. Your hands are shaking a little as…
Read MorePartnerships can be tough under the best of circumstances. Communication gets garbled even when you’re sitting right next to your business partner. But can you imagine the challenges in having a business partner in another…
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I know first-hand that running a knowledge-based service business has unique challenges. It’s so much easier when you have an advocate in your corner. Over the past 25 years, I’ve worked with thousands of New York business professionals who want a legal advisor to guide and support them as they navigate the business world.
With wide-ranging experience as a business attorney, strategist, and media authority, I bring the added power of a business lens to the legal issues my clients are facing.
And because I’ve been a business owner myself, I’ve lived through the soaring highs and devastating lows – like when my first law firm failed. So I understand what’s involved to serve great clients, detect business risks early and build a true legacy.
I can’t get those 12 years back. That’s why I have made it my mission to ensure that business professionals like you can become wise and discerning leaders, build a solid business, and live your best life.
