(176f) How to Entrepreneur - the Contracts of Doing Business

From day one as an entrepreneur, you will be dealing with attorneys.  The paperwork that establishes your business, and other agreements that you will make with investors, suppliers, and clients that operate the business on a day to day basis are all contracts that need some sort of legal advice to ensure that the documents reflect the relationships properly.  Some key portions of these contracts, such as stock offerings, board rules and powers, and other investor-entrepreneur agreements are vital to the success of any start-up company.  Understanding what you have, and what you may be negotiating (giving) away, are often the difference between you or your investors making that move to a Caribbean island of your choosing.  Another type of contract that often becomes the kernel for many entrepreneurial efforts is the intellectual property contract.  Which type of intellectual property protection you choose, how you document your ideas, and the agreements between you, your investors, and your engineering staff may make the path from inception of the business to sustainability less hazardous.  Patent and trade secret protection, and the relative merits of each, are important marketing and business generating strategies that every entrepreneur should have in their arsenal. 

1. Contracts

2. Terms and Conditions

3. Employment Contracts

4. Invention Disclosures

5. Purchase Orders