On the January 29 edition of The Business Forum Show, Host Kevin Hunter and I discussed a very critical topic for small businesses: worker classification; i.e., is a worker considered an employee or an independent contractor? You can listen to …
Worker Classification Issues: The Business Forum Show, January 29, 2014 Read more »
In my most recent appearance on The Business Forum Show, Host Kevin Hunter and I discussed the basics of raising equity capital and recent efforts to make “crowdfunding” legal for for-profit businesses. You can listen to the show here. Background …
Raising Equity and Crowdfunding: The Business Forum Show, January 22, 2014 Read more »
Assisting new and existing breweries in their legal needs has become a large part of my law practice in the past five years. A few years ago, in an effort to educate prospective brewery owners as to the legal issues …
Starting Up a Brewery: The Business Forum Show, January 15, 2014 Read more »
Trademarks are an important legal tool for businesses seeking to protect and expand a brand of products or services. Preventing one’s competition in perpetuity from marketing a competing product or service under a similar name can be crucial to establishing …
Trademarks: The Business Forum Show, November 7, 2013 Read more »
Of all the legal issues involved with starting a brewery, none is more complicated, cumbersome, time consuming and costly than obtaining equity capital. That’s due to the requirements – or should I say, restrictions – imposed by federal and state …
(Pictured above (L to R): Dan Schwarz, CEO, Lift Bridge Brewery, Jeff O’Brien, Chris Rooney and Andy Prasky)I have been a part of the Real Estate Radio Hour now for over five years, and every August the show heads out to …
Zoning and Businesses: Real Estate Radio Hour August 31, 2013 Read more »
The 2013 Minnesota Legislative session was not kind to those with higher incomes. Much attention was focused upon an income tax increase for higher income taxpayers. However, besides the income tax increase, a new state-level gift tax, coupled with changes …
Comedian Ron White made famous the phrase “You can’t fix stupid.” In the film Parental Guidance, Billy Crystal’s character remarked that his mother always told him that “there’s no cure for dumb.” Either of those phrases are apt descriptions of …
Minnesota Estate Tax Changes Close the Border on Small Business Investments Read more »
Sunday I was again in-studio with Roshini Rajkumar on WCCO’s News and Views to discuss what’s percolating at the State Capitol related to beer and breweries. On tap: the increase in the production limits for growler sales, proposed excise tax …
Growler Laws, Excise Taxes and Sunday Sales: News and Views, April 28, 2013 Read more »
Last year, much fanfare was made over the Jumpstart Our Businesses Startup Act, or “JOBS Act” for short. The JOBS Act’s intent was to create more funding opportunities for startup businesses by easing securities regulations; specifically, the JOBS Act permitted …
Beyond Crowdfunding: What New Businesses Need to Know About Securities Law Compliance Read more »