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The Importance of Employment Law & Why It Matters
Employment Laws were created to provide guidelines and regulations for employers and employees and to offer protections and structure for both. They are made up of laws spanning local, state and federal levels. Their importance cannot be overstated – employment (or...
The Importance of Employment Law & Why It Matters
Employment Laws were created to provide guidelines and regulations for employers and employees and to offer protections and structure for both. They are made up of laws spanning local, state and federal levels.
Latest Posts
Author & Online Entrepreneur: oh crap!
Meet This Month's Hot Entrepreneur! Meet Jamie Glowacki, an impressive business owner and now widely known published author. Jamie came to Gouchev Law for intellectual property protection. Things were moving at such high-speed in her business, that we dove right into...
What You Need to Know Before Applying for Trademark Registration
Maybe you’ve been considering applying for a federally registered trademark on your own to save money. But according to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), “most applicants hire an attorney who specializes in trademark matters to represent them in the...
Marketing Agency: Your Hot Copy
Meet This Month's Hot Entrepreneur! Meet Jamie Jensen, a boss entrepreneur and an extremely talented copywriter and founder of Your Hot Copy. Before we started working together, Jamie had been contemplating whether she should make the investment in a lawyer. Here is...
Top 10 Must Haves in an LLC Operating Agreement
Every LLC should have an operating agreement, but because there’s typically no filing requirement for this document, many companies use a cookie cutter contract and just fill in the blanks. That’s one of the riskiest things you could do, especially if your LLC has...
The Right Time Your Business Should Invest in a Lawyer
After tons of questions on this topic, I've decided to talk about the best time a business should invest in a lawyer, and how to save money where possible. Costs Versus Return Startups struggle deciding whether to spend on legal services because these services don’t...
Why an IP Audit is an Essential Tool for Growing Your Business
Intellectual property is a vital part of a businesses’ bottom line. The reason? It’s where most of your company’s brain power goes, and that exact brain power used to build your business is what makes your business more and more valuable. We’ve discussed this topic...
How to Make Millions with a Trademark: Bikram Case Study
How do we create a brand worth millions? Bikram Choudhury did just that with his style of hot yoga called Bikram, which you’re probably familiar with. Bikram consists of a series of 26 posture exercises (asanas) and two breathing exercises performed in a room heated...
USPTO Lowers Trademark Registration Fees
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has some great news for business owners looking to protect their potential trademarks. As of January 17, 2015, the USPTO will reduce trademark filing fees for electronic trademark applications and renewals. Electronic...
New Year Goals: Add Value, Get Leads, Make Money
The holiday season is upon us, and with it comes a lull in sales for some small businesses. Which is why it’s a great time to to start thinking about ramping up your sales strategy for the new year. But how? Differentiate yourself Standing out is really what it’s...
5 Steps to Protecting Your Intellectual Property
Information is becoming easier and easier to access and distribute, making it harder to safeguard your intellectual property or product ideas from theft and copying. Whether you are a start-up or a multinational company, taking steps to protect your intellectual...
Get the Upperhand on Licensing, Partnerships and Joint Ventures
In today’s market you may be able to get an edge over the competition if you can find a way to profit from your intellectual property or someone else’s through licenses and partnerships. In a typical licensing agreement, the licensor grants the licensee the right to...
3-Steps to a Million-Dollar Mindset
So you’ve got your business up and running, and maybe it’s not perfect but you’re working hard on improvements to your products, services, and strategies. If you’ve been at this for a while (or even if you’re just starting out), you’re probably wondering if you’re...
The 3 Must-Have Documents for an LLC
Two of the most enticing things about an LLC is that it prevents business owners from being personally liable for things related to the business, and it provides pass-through tax status. It also has fewer formalities and requires less legal documentation.If filing as...
When Is It Time to Change Your Business Structure?
Your business needs change over time. When it comes to your business structure, the ideal thing is to pick the right one from your first day in business, but you might have decided to keep things simple at the beginning. It’s often hard to anticipate your business...
Is Venture Capital Right for Your Business?
First, let’s clear up the differences between angels and venture capitalists (VCs). The two main distinctions are: Angels invest their own money; VCs invest other people’s money. Angel investment is more likely to be in the hundreds of thousands, while VC investments...
What Scaling Your Business Actually Means for You
Leveraging Products, Sales Process, and Social Media Okay, everyone’s talking about the importance of scalability with your business, but what does that really mean for you? The short answer is that you want your business to be able to turn a profit without you having...
How to Get Funding for Your Start-up
According to Forbes, 8 out of every 10 businesses fail within the first 18 months. The main reasons start-ups don't succeed are: 1) Simply not having enough cash, and 2) Not having a profitable business model with proven revenue streams Whether you’re a first time...
Avoid Getting in Hot Water with the TM, SM and (R) Symbols
There are a few different trademark symbols out there, and using them properly can be pretty crucial for your business. For example, if the owner of a federally registered trademark uses the ® symbol, then anyone who infringes on the mark will be considered to have...
Essential Steps for Incorporating Your Business
You have a new business, amazing! Now you want to cover your assets with a business structure that keeps you and what you own separate from your business. That’s the kind of peace of mind business owners need to succeed, which is why incorporating is a critical step...
7 Steps to Properly Name Your Business or New Brand
If you’ve started a business, developed a new brand, or thought about re-branding, you know finding the perfect name takes time and energy. As entrepreneurs we obsess over this because it really does set the foundation for the brand. Without a solid foundation things...
What’s the Minimum Royalty Payment for Copyright Owners of a Joint Work?
Before I dig into this issue, let me start by saying that you should always have your attorney draft a split fee agreement for joint works, and a licensing agreement when you’re allowing others to use your copyrighted works. But let’s review what you can do in case...