ArcaMax

"I've been a struggling actor in New York for several years, but right now I've got the chance of a lifetime. I have written, directed and produced a satirical off-Broadway play based on the life of a famous former politician. I have a couple of investors -- really all the money I need -- but I'm not sure what, if anything, I need to do ...Read more

"Two weeks ago, I signed a contract to buy a business. I didn't use a lawyer because the contract seemed fair, and I felt I understood what it said. I put up a $25,000 deposit to buy this business, and the closing is in two weeks.

"The seller's attorney has been calling me every day asking me questions about the documents that I am ...Read more

I had the privilege of addressing a group of about 50 law school graduates last week as part of the New York State Bar Association's semiannual Bridging the Gap program -- a two-day orientation course for newly minted lawyers on the "real-world" life and practice of law.

Here is an abridged version of my remarks:

There is an ancient Chinese ...Read more

"My wife and I are thinking about a franchise. We've met with the franchise executives at their 'Discovery Day,' and they seem like nice people.

"They're encouraging us to talk to some of their franchisees to understand exactly what goes on in the franchised business, but I confess I don't know what sorts of questions to ask. We've never ...Read more

"I started a solo law practice last year. As part of my marketing efforts, I encourage my clients to post positive reviews on their websites and social media pages.

"Well, I just found out that a client posted a highly negative review of me on Avvo.com." (Author's note: Avvo is an online review site -- similar to Yelp -- where people can ...Read more

"I want to put a hyperlink on my website to an article somebody else wrote on another website so that readers could read the article and then respond, whether negatively or positively, on my website what they thought of the article. Is this legal?"

The short and easy answer is it's probably legal. The tougher question is: Should you do it?

A...Read more

"My husband and I started a consulting business a while back, and we are finding ourselves getting more and more business from government agencies and nonprofit organizations. There's only one problem: Many of these people want to know if we are a 'minority-owned enterprise' or a 'woman-owned enterprise' so they can comply with federal and ...Read more

Twice a year, I have the honor of being a judge at the Connecticut Business Plan Competition, where students from business schools and undergraduate business programs throughout Connecticut compete for cash prizes and mentorship from leading business experts, in a format very similar to the popular "Shark Tank" television show.

The event has ...Read more

Millions of baby boomers are leaving corporate America, but few are ready to retire.

The solution for many of them? Maturepreneurship.

Entrepreneurs in their 50s, 60s and 70s start 25 percent of all new businesses each year, according to Bruce Markewicz, founder of Maturepreneur Today, a new information and resource website for second-act ...Read more

I recently had the privilege of examining a volume of legal forms whose publisher wanted me to take over as general editor.

I was generally OK with the corporation and LLC forms -- that is until I got to the chapter titled "buy-sell agreements." These agreements deal with the common situation in which an owner of a small business either wants...Read more

"I currently own a one-person information technology consulting firm, which operates as a limited liability company (LLC).

"I have a number of small clients. I go out and get the business, but I am also the person who has to do the work to keep the client satisfied. I am making enough money to support myself and my family, but there is not ...Read more

It's a rough economy out there, but even scarier than the persistent threats of recession, deflation, countries defaulting on their debt, governments' inability to balance the budget and other boogie people is the pace of change itself.

If you are a business owner looking to adapt, or if you are an unemployed corporate executive trying to ...Read more

On a recent business trip to a popular beach resort in California, I was called upon to find a good local restaurant for two important California-based contacts who wanted to meet with me over dinner.

As it so happened, both of them liked steakhouses, and the hotel where I was staying boasted one of the top steakhouses in the area.

I made it...Read more