Business Law Attorneys

A Guide to Thriving: 5 Expert Tips for Surviving a Company Merger or Acquisition

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You’ve seen the writing on the walls for weeks.

People on the management team disappear into mysterious closed-door meetings for hours at a time. You’ve been asked to compile data about company costs and employee usage rates. There’s been a general sense of unease at the office.

And during today’s all-staff meeting, the dreaded words were finally uttered: company merger 

There’s nothing more stressful than dealing with an acquisition or merger. You’re in for some interesting changes, but don’t worry. We’re here to help you navigate the latest changes in your company so you can keep your career intact.

Navigating the Company Merger: Our 5 Essential Tips 

It can be difficult to stay cool when you’re in the middle of a company merger. There are so many questions on your mind.

Will I still have a job in a few weeks? What’s going to happen to my colleagues? Am I going to have to take a pay cut if I want to stay on?

Unfortunately, we can’t answer those questions for you. We can, however, give you some tips that can help you manage whatever comes your way. 

When you learn that a company merger can’t be avoided, make sure you remember these crucial tips. 

1. Prepare for the Worst

People can underestimate just how jarring mergers and acquisitions can be for everyone involved. Oftentimes, nobody is safe. Everyone from the part-time secretary to C-level employees has uncertain futures at the company.

You could end up staying with the new company and find that you don’t like the new direction. You may find that half of your department got terminated and you need new employees. You could find out that your position has been eliminated. 

Now isn’t the time to panic, it’s the time to prepare. 

As soon as you know the merger is happening, take the time to fully update your resume. If you have any current work you want to add to your portfolio, grab it from company computers now.

You never know what can happen to important files when new people come on board. It’s possible that your access to files could change or that things have been deleted. That’s why it’s important to gather things while there’s still time.

This is also the perfect time to go to networking events and touch base with friends and old business connections. If you end up looking for a job or need to find people to hire, they could come in very handy. 

2. Choose Your Words Wisely 

Mergers are a very sensitive time for companies. Whether you’re an entry-level employee or a VP, it’s important to think about the way you discuss everything that’s going on.

If you’re in management, don’t say anything concrete about the merger until you’re 100% sure about what’s happening.

It’s far too easy for managers to accidentally spread misinformation to their direct reports during this time. Don’t confirm or deny things unless you can say then with absolute certainty. 

People that are feeling negatively about what’s happening should also be careful about who they express their opinions too. You never know who will be listening. A frustrated off the cuff comment could lead to problems for you in the future.

3. Communicate Your Willingness 

Do you love the company you’re currently working for? Are you looking forward to talking to the newest owners about your ideas on how to help improve products or services? Let your eagerness be known! 

Happy and willing to work employees are critical during a merger. They won’t just do the hard work that’s needed at the new company, they can also help create buy-in from employees that may be on the fence about staying at the new company.

Set some time to talk to higherups about how you want to help make the merger go as smoothly as possible. Even if you don’t have a concrete plan, just knowing that you’re offering support can be important for people.

4. Read Paperwork Carefully

This tip goes for the people selling their company, acquiring a new one, or simply going through the merger action because they’re an employee. Whenever there’s a merger happening, pay very close attention to any piece of paper you have to sign. 

Are you accepting a severance package? Severance pay often comes with strings attached.

Accepting the money may mean not working for a competitor, or even speaking negatively about your experience. Make sure you thoroughly comb through the agreement before you sign.

If you’re accepting a position in the newly formed company, read your contract carefully, even if you’re in the exact same role. The new company may handle pay, benefits, or duties carefully. 

This isn’t the time to guess and assume that everything is in order. Don’t be afraid to bring in the help of an attorney if there’s anything you don’t understand or are concerned about.

5. Evaluate Your New Company

So you’ve survived the merger and now you’re working within your new company. You may have kept your job, but the work isn’t over yet.

When you’re dealing with the stress of a merger you’re so concerned about the possibility of losing your job, you don’t take the time to consider if you actually want to keep it.

Now it’s time for you to decide if you want to stay with the new company. You may find that the way things are going aren’t working for you. 

Think about the new company culture and if you’re a good fit. See if you mesh well with new employees and management. Decide if you’re happy with the work you’re assigned and what you’re producing. 

The Expert Help You Need

A company merger can be a stressful time, but that doesn’t mean that it’s an impossible situation to navigate. If you stay in the right frame of mind and handle things as they come, you can easily survive whatever comes your way.

Are you a business owner that’s about to go through their first merger? Are you a concerned employee that wants to learn how to handle an impending merger in the right way?

We’re here to help. Be sure to reach out to us today so we can answer any questions and handle any concerns you may have.

How can someone protect their business from potential lawsuits?

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One of the most important things to remember about protecting your business from a potential lawsuit is remembering that there is no way to protect yourself from everything. In this day and age, anybody can file a lawsuit for any reason. The merit of the lawsuit can be determined later on, but there is no way to protect yourself from a lawsuit being filed against your company. The best way to protect yourself from a claim or lawsuit is to create processes and systems within your business that you are dedicated to. If you have a system for billing vendors, you should adhere to that system. This creates document and paper trails that you can refer to if needed, and also creates stability within your company.

What are some alternatives to business litigation?

Settlement and negotiations can always take place before litigation. Even if you believe you will win, litigation is time consuming and not always the best way to go about things. Resolving the issue prior to litigation is in the best interest of both parties. If that’s the situation, we’ll certainly make you aware of it. We seek to negotiate with other parties and attorneys while simultaneously not disrupting your daily business functions. However, if the other party is not willing to resolve an issue, litigation may be your only choice.

This is sometimes caused by a breakdown in communication, and the only way to get that communication started again and resolve issues is to litigate. These situations are considered forced communication, which causes both parties to come to the table and seek a way to resolve an issue.

Why do businesses really need a business law attorney?

It’s important to remember that you don’t know what you don’t know. Business law is very extensive, and although several issues can be researched, the problem is if you’re missing something, you may not be aware of what it is that you are missing. If you think you are doing everything right legally as your business moves and you are answering these questions because you’ve done your own research, you could be right, but you could also be wrong. It is much better to have someone tell you that you are wrong up front, so you are able to fix it, than to have the court tell you later on that you are wrong.

At the end of the day, business law attorneys at our firm feel that it is our job to help you navigate. The businesses that we see get themselves into the most trouble are the ones that feel that it’s just better to do it on their own to save money. Oftentimes, the desire to save money today means spending twice as much tomorrow.

At the De Bruin Law Firm, we are business owners, so we understand that. It isn’t easy to decide to pay someone for a service that you think you may be able to do on your own. You always need to ask yourself, what is the best thing for my business? The pain and complications involved in litigation aren’t a good thing for your business. At the end of the day, your business is about providing a product or service. Anything that takes away from that should be dealt with as efficiently and effectively as possible. Our belief is that having a business law attorney will help you with a lot of the issues that arise in the life cycle of your business.

For more information on Protecting Businesses From Lawsuits, a free initial consultation is your next best step. Get the information and legal answers you are seeking by calling (864) 982-5930 today.

What are some examples of businesses and companies you work with?

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The De Bruin Law Firm represents many various types of businesses, in industries including software, construction, national and international manufacturers, real estate, national and international distributors, and local startups. We represent these companies in the majority of their legal matters. If you provide the service or a product to the general public, we have experience representing an area that you probably serve.

Although we are more selective with who we represent, we do also serve select nonprofit clients. This covers areas of business from brick and mortar stores to completely cloud-based services, such as tech companies.

What questions should I ask before starting a new business?

When you start your new business, the first thing you should always ask is what the purpose of your business is. Are you going to provide a service for people, or are you going to provide a product? The next question you should as is what your ideal kind of customer is. This will help you narrow down your industry and your market. If you are a first time business owner, it may take a little bit of time to really grasp what it means to discern who your ideal client and customer is.

Next, you can decide if you are going to be a brick and mortar store or if you are going to be online based. Another important thing to decide is how you are going to market yourself to your target audience.

From there, you can ask some more specific questions, such as, how are you going to raise capital? Are you going to be an LLC, in which every employee has a day to day activity, or a corporation, in which you have investors? Deciding which entity formation will play a large role in the growth of your business from that point on.

What qualities should I look for when retaining a business law attorney?

When selecting a business law attorney, the first thing you should look for is an attorney that has experience in the nature of your business. This means finding someone who has handled business plans like yours and has experience in with your marketed objectives and goals going forward. Next, it’s important to find an attorney that is experienced in business planning. When big decisions arise, it is easy to become reactionary when something happens. This can be expensive and inefficient for your business. If you have an attorney that has experience in handling startups and established companies, they can lay out a business plan based on your objectives and goals in order to help navigate obstacles that arise.

For more information on Businesses & Companies In South Carolina, a free initial consultation is your next best step. Get the information and legal answers you are seeking by calling (864) 982-5930 today.

What are the common business law matters that you handle?

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We commonly represent business law clients in South Carolina, dealing with technology and software development, manufacturing, professional services, and a multitude of other industries . A portion of our clients are bootstrap startup companies that are trying to grow not just organically in South Carolina, but also with a new and innovative idea. We also represent both manufacturers and service industries, whether they are builders, developers, or if they make specific products, cabinetry, custom metal work, etc.

We also have a large pool of international clients, specifically in the dental industry, and a few other industries that are trying to get their products to market in the United States. We represent them and assist them to gain compliancy with US government laws as well as helping to sort out their infrastructure in the United States, whether that’s shipping, accounting, employment, staffing, or human relations.

What is the role of an attorney in business planning and formation?

As your business planning attorneys, we find the most efficient solution to your business’s everyday problems…for example, if you’re selling your product in other states, how do you make sure that you are complying with all the laws from state to state? Or, if you have an agreement with a shareholder or a vendor, how do you make sure that you’re both protected while also ensuring that it is an efficient agreement that will allow you to go forward within your business relationships with others, and simultaneously protect your interests?

Solving these problems on a day to day basis is one of the things that our clients have said that they’ve enjoyed about us. We have several repeat customers and referrals because we do our best to make sure that your business relationships overcome a lot of the hurdles that end up leading to litigation.

What are the different corporate services that you provide to clients?

We handle the review process of any business agreement, any kind of contract, as well as the creation of business agreements that occur in the day to day between clients and vendors, customers and clients, from studios that need membership agreements to major mergers and acquisitions and shareholder buyouts. We have handled it all and we handle it regularly.

Why is an attorney needed when buying or selling a business?

The most important part of buying or selling a business is communication. Whenever you’re buying or selling a business, as well as in a merger or acquisition, there are a lot of moving parts. One of the attorney’s jobs is to make sure the communication is present between all parties and being able to effectively communicate a client’s position to the other side in a way that keeps everything moving forward. At the end of the day, whether your client is buying or selling the business, there’s a desire to go forward in that process. It’s our job to both protect their interests, but at the same time, not be the reason why it stalls. Our job is to make sure that everybody is in the loop and, first and foremost, protect our clients.

What are the common business related lawsuits that you handle?

The majority of lawsuits that we handle arise from agreements or contracts, prior to our representation, in which a potential client or business comes to us after finding that they have a disagreement with someone over this agreement or contract.

Unfortunately, we see a lot of people getting stock contracts off illegitimate websites. We had one situation in which someone came to us thinking they had bought a business. They had not. The contract that they had signed was for the purchase of equipment. The business that they thought they were buying was a completely online business without any equipment. Occasionally we have situations like that, where unfortunately, because an individual didn’t seek legal counsel or legal representation in the beginning, now they’re at a position where it’s at litigation and it could have been avoided.

For more information on Business Law In South Carolina, a free initial consultation is your next best step. Get the information and legal answers you are seeking by calling (864) 982-5930 today.

Common Business Law Questions:

What types of cases do you handle under real estate law?

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Our Firm handles traditional purchases of real estate, including both residential and commercial properties. We also handle refinancing of loans and mortgages, home equity lines of credit, and mobile home sales and de-titles. Additionally, we handle quitclaim deeds and property transfer. We handle commercial lease agreements, commercial purchases, and commercial sales and refinances. We also do real estate development, and that could be anything from sub-divisions to multifamily homes or to a corporate real estate development. The only thing we don’t handle in real estate law is real estate or residential litigation. We don’t handle litigation between homeowners, neighbors, landlords and tenants, etc.

Do I need an attorney when purchasing a single family home?

The real estate attorney handles the title insurance of the closing. In South Carolina, title insurance is a legal requirement, and you do need a lawyer to handle the closing, escrow servicing, and titling of your property.

Why should I hire an attorney if I’m just purchasing or selling a property?

In South Carolina, it’s required that an attorney handle and supervise many of the critical elements of a real estate closing. These elements include title searches and abstracts, title review and certification, and the closing itself, including preparation and analysis of closing documents and escrowing the funds. All money passes through the attorney’s escrow account and is distributed according to the documentation that is presented.

Should I use the standard listing agreement by realtors to buy or sell property or should I use a custom agreement made by my attorney?

For residential properties, most states including South Carolina have a standard realtor’s contract that everyone real estate agents and attorneys are familiar with. We use the standard form as it is convenient for all parties involved, but also review and draft real estate agreements specific to the individual transaction.

What is involved in the closing of a real estate property?

Often, when people are buying a property for the first time, they don’t understand the amount of paperwork and tasks associated with a closing. The first thing that needs to be done is a contract between the buyer and seller. There is an earnest money deposit that usually goes along with the signing of that contract. Included in the contract is a list of deadlines and dates for certain things to be done. It is very important to make sure that all those dates are noted when the contract is signed.

Next, there is the due diligence and the inspection period. This is vital, because in most contracts for real estate, specifically in residential real estate, there are out clauses, or the things that the buyer, if things are found, can get out of the contract, or the contract will be cancelled. There will be inspections, both home inspections and termite inspections, with a financing statement stating that if the buyer can’t obtain funding to buy the house, either they negotiate the contract again or the contract is voided. At that time, a title search is done to make sure that the title is good and marketable.

In addition, a survey of the property is done, and then the attorneys review both the survey and title to certify that the title is good and marketable. Also, the attorney needs to receive payoff requests for all liens.

Then, the lender will give a title commitment letter and will coordinate the closing. From here, we must review all the lender documents and the settlement statements and prepare for the closing.

During closing, the attorney will explain every document that is involved and all parties will sign the closing documents. The attorney will do the transferring of the deed and transfer funds through the escrow account to the lenders, sellers, agents, mortgage companies, and taxing authorities and insurance companies. The attorney will give the title insurance commitment to the buyers and the bank, and then record the mortgage deed through the clerk at the courthouse.

For more information on Real Estate Cases In South Carolina, a free initial consultation is your next best step. Get the information and legal answers you are seeking by calling (864) 982-5930 today.

What are some issues associated with buying or selling a business?

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The first issue to address when you buy an existing business is the role of the seller in your new business. If the seller is going to become an employee, you will need to discuss the role of that seller as the employee is going forward. Having someone who is a business owner sell the company and then stay on as an employee can potentially create obstacles and confusion. In most cases, the seller has a vast amount of experience in the industry, so you want to keep them on. It’s also important to draft non-compete and non-disclosure agreements between you and the seller. The last thing you want to do is buy a company from someone who then opens a competing business nearby.

On the other hand, if you are considering selling your company, the first question you have to ask is how much your company is worth on the open market. This can be very important for small businesses if they decide to sell their business to someone they know. This doesn’t necessarily mean that you’ll get the whole value of your business for that, but it does mean that you will need to enact promissory notes because the buyer is not able to afford the full value of the business upfront.

When you buy or sell a business, you need to be thinking about how your agreement is going to play out long term. Whichever side you’re on in the transaction, how is the agreement going to wind out to a complete transfer of the company? If you’re running a business, you will be dealing with vendors, customers, contracts, and agreements on a day to day basis. Your attorney can certainly help you foresee those interactions, and handle them well in advance.

There will also be reactionary situations and decisions that need to be made, such as what happens if vendors don’t fulfill agreements or customers don’t pay for your services on time, or what to do with a disgruntled employee. Oftentimes, this can be a chain reaction, causing other issues. These are the common, day-to-day business operations that our firm certainly can help with.

What are some issues that business owners can handle on their own without an attorney?

Although it isn’t necessary that you hire an attorney for every issue, it is a great idea to have an attorney that you are comfortable with so you can pick up the phone and call when you need to. However, at the end of the day, if you are entrepreneur or a small business owner, the failure and the success of your business is ultimately in your hands.

One of the most difficult things to do is lead and manage other people. Those are the issues in which it may not be necessary in the best interest of your business to pick up the phone and ask the attorney’s advice, such as motivating your staff and promoting a good work ethic. With any other legal issues, we can lead you down the right path, and warn you of any pitfalls that your actions may be leading you towards.

For more information on Issues With Buying Or Selling A Business, a free initial consultation is your next best step. Get the information and legal answers you are seeking by calling (864) 982-5930 today.

Does every business need an attorney?

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Depending on the size of your business, you may not need an attorney as in-house counsel or on your staff and payroll. However, it is always a good idea to have a strong relationship with an attorney so you feel comfortable picking up the phone to ask questions. Whether those questions happen once a week or every six months, your trusted attorney needs to be someone that is competent and regularly available to handle issues that arise in your business.

Does your firm work on a retainer with client or on as needed basis?

For smaller businesses, if it’s a work as needed basis, we can give you pretty good estimate of what that work’s going to entail. If the work determines that there needs to be a retainer, we’ll let you know well in advance for that also.

The larger businesses are the ones that typically need an attorney on retainer on a month by month basis. For larger businesses that have ongoing daily functions that require the use of an attorney, we have found it’s in their best interest financially to hire us rather than hire their own in-house counsel. We can act as general counsel outside of their payroll in the day-to-day things they need.

What are the disadvantages of not proactively hiring a business law attorney?

The disadvantages of not proactively hiring a business attorney depends on the nature of your business. On a general scale, however, it is our job to know what might throw up red flags. The more comprehensive approach we have together as far as your business plan and your goals, the better able we’ll be to point out some of those red flags prior to them arising.

What are the resolutions or assistance that your firm can provide to potential clients?

We provide a variety of services to our business law clients, including debt collection, litigation, business restructuring, and more. We will help you through any sort of business restructuring and contract related matters, as well as represent the business. If there are significant employment issues that you need help with, we have the experience necessary to help you and guide you through these issues as well.

In addition to creating new agreements does your firm assist in reviewing and modifying existing agreements or contracts?

The De Bruin Law Firm assists with reviewing and modifying existing agreements and contracts. We can also do a document review, even if the documents have been previously executed. This often happens with new clients who have existing shareholder or operating agreements. We encourage existing document reviews for all of our clients. These reviews enable us to see where you were prior to coming to us—if there’s anything that needs to be addressed, we can resolve it before it becomes an issue.

Does your firm litigate business matters? 

We typically litigate matters in which we are already actively representing the business. We are truly selective on cases we litigate. If it’s a situation in which a business or a business owner comes to us because we have represented them in the past, we will handle that on a case-by-case basis. Our clients require our attention actively, and litigation is very time-consuming. If we are unable to represent that new business in a litigation matter, we certainly will refer to another trusted litigator.

For more information on Need For Business Law Attorneys, a free initial consultation is your next best step. Get the information and legal answers you are seeking by calling (864) 982-5930 today.

Common Business Law Questions:

Your Guide to the Different Types of Business Entities

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Have you been in business for a while (or just starting out) and wonder if you’re on the right track with your business structure?

Are you wondering what types of business entities are available to help save you money on taxes or shield you from liabilities?

Maybe you think your company is too small to incorporate. Did you know that 84.9% of the C-corporations in the U.S. in 2015 had fewer than 20 employees?

We’re not saying incorporation is the best choice for you.

We’re just suggesting you consider all the alternatives available. Make sure your business entity type is the best fit for your company.

Let’s discuss some of them now.

Types of Business Entities

When starting a business, there are many business types to choose from.

Each has its own advantages and disadvantages when it comes to the ease of formation, tax advantages, protection from liabilities and lawsuits, and more.

It’s important to take the time to learn about the various options available to find the one that best fits the needs of your company.

Below is a summary of five of the most common types of business entities.

Sole Proprietorship

A sole proprietorship is a business owned by one person for profit. It is the easiest type of business to set up and end. But sole proprietorships do not offer any protection to the owner.

The owner is entitled to all the income from the business but is also personally liable for all the debts incurred. If any claims are brought against the business, the owner is personally liable for them too.

If you want to do business under a name other than your own, you will need to file a notice that you are doing business as (aka d.b.a.) the name you’ve chosen. Doing so doesn’t protect you from personal liability.

You will file a Schedule C along with with your individual income tax return to report the profit or loss from your business.

Partnerships

A general partnership is one of the types of business partnerships. A general partnership is owned by two or more people or business entities.

A general partnership can be formed without a formal written agreement. But it is generally recommended that the agreement between the partners be written down. This is especially true if the income from the partnership won’t be divided equally among the partners. Or all partners do not contribute an equal amount of capital or other resources into the business.

All partners are personally liable for the debts of the partnership. So disputes can arise, for example, when a partner takes on debt for the partnership without the other partners’ consent.

A partnership doesn’t file its own tax return, but it does have to file a Form 1065 – U.S. Return of Partnership Income every year. Form 1065 will report how much income or loss flowed through the partnership to the partners. Each partner will then report this income or loss on their own individual tax return.

Limited Liability Partnership

A limited liability partnership consists of one or more general partners and at least one limited liability partner.

Limited partners have limited personal liability for debts incurred by the partnership. The limit is up to the capital they put into the business. Limited partners do not take an active role in the management or operation of the business. If they do, they can lose their limited liability status.

In order for a limited liability partnership to be valid, the partnership must be registered with the state where the partnership does business.

Corporations

Corporations are their own entity owned by individual shareholders. Shareholders are protected from liabilities owed by the corporation.

Shareholders vote to elect a board of directors who have specific duties oversight duties. The board of directors chooses the officers for the corporation. The officers are responsible for hiring people to handle day-to-day business activities.

Corporations are considered their own separate entity and corporations file their own tax returns. The corporations pays dividends to the shareholders. Shareholders then pay tax on the dividends on their individual shareholder’s tax return.

Before creating a corporation, you should consult with an attorney to discuss which type of corporation to for. Two types of incorporations are C-corporations and S-corporations. You will also need to make sure you’re aware of the various corporate reporting and filing requirements.

Further, an attorney can explain how to maintain the protected status against personal liability.

Limited Liability Company

A limited liability company is another one of the forms of business ownership. The people who own them are called members.

The rules for forming a limited liability company (LLC) vary from state to state.

In some states, like South Carolina, you will need to file Articles of Organization with the Secretary of State to form a limited liability company. In others, the form is a Certificate of Formation.

Members of an LLC have limited liability protection from the liabilities of the LLC.

Like a partnership, profits and losses flow through the LLC to the members. However, members do not claim the profit or losses on their individual tax returns. Members can opt to be taxed in one of two ways: as a partnership or as a corporation.

Make the Right Choice – Talk to an Attorney Today

Wherever you are in your business planning, now is the best time to talk to an attorney about the types of business entities that will work best for your company.

Laying the proper foundation for your business will give it the structure and stability you’ll need to make your business a success.

Contact us today to set up a free consultation to discuss your business and which business entity options are best for you.

Register Your Business: Reasons Why Trademarking a Brand is a Good Idea

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In today’s competitive world, you want to do everything you can to protect your business. For that reason, you need to consider the value of trademarking a brand for that business. Doing so could protect your investments in the long run.

After all, even experts recognize the importance of trademarking a business these days. Don’t underestimate the value of legal protection of your intellectual property. While you may not think that paying for a trademark is worthwhile, it’s in your best interest to reconsider.

The good news, though, is you’ve come to the right place with this article. Detailed below is everything you need to know about the benefits of trademarking your brand.

Don’t take the risk of letting other businesses cash in on your ideas and designs. Instead, take the time to invest in a proper trademark so you can focus on increasing profits for years to come.

You Deserve Legal Ownership over Your Ideas

The first thing to recognize is that trademarking your brand will simply feel better. You deserve to feel like you have real ownership over your brand and intellectual property.

After all, you spent time and energy designing that logo, right? You spent countless hours developing that branded social media marketing strategy, right? Don’t make the mistake of losing all of that value by not trademarking your brand soon.

If You Don’t Register Your Business, You Might Be Infringing on Someone Else’s

Of course, not only does a trademark protect your ideas and intellectual property from getting stolen. You’ll also be protecting yourself from accidentally stealing someone else’s!

The reason for this is that when you’re ready to trademark your brand, you’ll have to register it. Since all trademark registrations are recorded, you’ll be able to know right off the bat if someone else is already using your branding strategy.

Consider the following statistic regarding registered trademarks throughout the world. It indicates that in the year 2017, there were about 5.4 million registered trademarks worldwide. In other words, there’s no telling if someone else has your brand registered until you research.

For this reason, it’s smart to wait on your marketing campaign until your trademark is authorized. You don’t want to waste all of your company resources on promotional products you can’t use.

For one thing, that would be a serious waste of money. For another thing, you’ll have to take the time and effort to redesign your branding strategy altogether. That’s why trademarking your brand as soon as you think of it is in your best interest.

Establish an Official Reputation in Your Industry

Starting your own business is no easy feat in the first place. That’s why it’s wise to connect with other established professionals right off the bat. You understand the value of networking to develop corporate relationships, right?

Well, with an official trademark, expect other businesses in the industry to take you more seriously. Since a trademark is a long-term investment, you’re proving that you’re dedicated to sticking around. For that reason, you’ll find plenty of business connections to make the most of your endeavors.

In fact, odds are that you will want an established relationship with a trusted business law attorney. That means that when you’re ready to invest in a trademark, you should connect with a law firm.

In particular, focus on connecting with one that can continue to represent your business’s best legal interests. Doing so is another way you’ll be establishing your business as a top-quality one.

Trademarking a Brand Avoids the Risk of Losing Customers

Imagine you’ve been building your business for about a year before trademarking it. You’ve developed a loyal consumer base with your current branding strategy.

Those customers know how to recognize you when they need your products or services. Customer loyalty, in the long run, is an invaluable asset.

Then, someone else in your local market establishes a business with pretty much the exact same brand. Not only that, but they trademark the brand that you’ve been working with all this time.

Before you know it, all of your loyal customers are starting to look at the other business. Why wouldn’t they, since you both have the same marketing strategies?

That’s one of the most significant reasons for trademarking a brand. If you don’t do so as your business is getting started, you’re taking a huge risk.

Someone else might do so before you know it. At that point, you’ll have no legal claim to the intellectual property since you avoided trademarking it. Those loyal customers, then, are no longer yours.

Your Trademark Will Never Expire

Don’t forget that when you register your trademark, it never expires. For the rest of the future, that intellectual property will be legally associated with your name.

This is of particular convenience since you don’t have to worry about keeping up with recurring registration fees. Plus, it allows you to grow and expand your company without fear of losing the trademark you’ve established.

Invest in a Proper Trademark for Your Business’s Brand Today

At this point in the article, you have a thorough understanding of why trademarking a brand is so worthwhile. As a responsible business owner, your top priority is the company’s bottom line. That means that it’s crucial you protect your investments in this brand.

After all, you deserve the peace of mind that comes from knowing no one can steal your ideas! Whether it’s accidental or intentional, it’s only too common for businesses to copy each other. For that reason, prevent the loss of your customers with an official trademark.

Of course, even when you have to legally defend your trademark, you’re going to need help. It’s fortunate, then, that this is where we can help you.

We prioritize representing our clients’ businesses in the best light during legal cases. We want to ensure your business has its rights and intellectually property well-protected.

That’s why we encourage you to browse through the rest of our website to see how we can help defend your business. To start, check out more information about our experience with trademarks on our website today.

International Expansion: How to Take Your Business Global

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You’ve heard the saying that everyone has to start somewhere, and it’s as true as ever in business. Both Apple and the mom and pop shop down the street started with a single modest location. The difference is that at some point, Apple made a massive jump.

If you have dreams of being the next Apple, you may believe that it’s time to take the leap. At the same time, you know how huge of a transition it is, and you don’t want to make any wrong moves.

Instead of letting the unknown paralyze you, start with these tips for international expansion.

International Expansion Tips for US Businesses

Taking your business international isn’t as easy as carting your product down to Mexico and opening up a shop. Here’s how to make sure it’s the right decision and make it a successful expansion.

Run the Numbers

Like so many decisions in business, deciding to go international will start with math.

An international expansion is an expensive endeavor. Depending on your business model you’ll probably have costs like real estate, hiring, extensive marketing, permits and licenses, and more.

Do a thorough cost analysis to get an idea of the investment you’ll be making. Then find out if you have the financials to cover it. One of the biggest expansion mistakes companies make is starting an international growth plan and running out of money halfway through.

Keep it Gradual

As you start planning the route your expansion will take, remember that age-old wisdom: “Slow and steady wins the race.”

Don’t try to conquer the world in one go. Start with a single country and build your presence there first. Little by little, you can expand more and more to additional countries.

We say this because there are such dramatic differences in doing business between one country and the next. You need to do your due diligence before crossing every and any border.

Most businesses find it easiest to start with the nearest countries to them and move outward. You may begin with Canada, then Mexico, then start expanding into western Europe or South America.

Analyze Your Target Market

We’ve talked about researching your costs and challenges every time you expand into a new country. During that process, you also need to research the market you’re trying to sell to.

Is there a need for products or services like yours in the new country? Does something or someone else fill this need already? Do those customers even have the problem your product or service solves, like US customers did before you appeared?

On top of researching the demand, you need to investigate your competition in each country. If someone else already has a stronghold in your industry and their customers aren’t looking for alternatives, you may not be able to carve out the market share you need.

Investigate the Business Laws

In the US, we have business law attorneys who specialize in the area because even people who are born and raised here don’t understand all the laws and regulations. This is true in other countries too.

Before you enter each new country, you need to work with an attorney to learn about the laws in the country. Find out what types of documentation and testing you need in order to sell in that country.

This should be something you do early in the process too. You may discover that some part of your manufacturing process is banned in the country you planned to enter. This completely changes your cost analysis, so you need to know this early.

Consider Changes to Your Product

Speaking of making changes to your product, legal hurdles aren’t the only reason this may be necessary.

If you’re planning to sell an electronic product in Europe, for instance, you’ll need a different power plug. If you’re expanding to a non-English-speaking country, you’ll need to change your packaging to have the new country’s language.

These are a few of many reasons you could need a whole new product to sell in another country. As with the legal regulations, this needs to be part of your cost analysis before you decide whether to pursue your expansion.

Access Your Network

One of the most useful assets in your corner as you expand your business is your network.

A business contact in your target country could be an invaluable resource. On top of giving you insight into their local scene, they can put you in touch with the right people.

Scour your contacts to see if you know anyone with connections in your target country. If so, fill them in on your plans and perhaps they can introduce you to some people who can help you jumpstart your expansion.

Before you tell anyone about the move you’re planning, though, consult with your business attorney. You may need to ask them to sign a non-disclosure agreement before you fill them in.

Build Up Your US Staff

Most business owners that decide to expand internationally do so when they feel like their US-based business is running smoothly.

Be careful about making assumptions, though. Remember that your US business is running well with you giving it all of your focus, and the same goes for your upper management.

As you and other high-level personnel in your business focus on an expansion, it means you’ll have less time for the US side of the business. You’ll likely need to hire additional staff to pick up the slack.

Taking the Plunge

If you have a thriving business in the US, you probably didn’t get there without doing your due diligence before making major moves. You need to take the same care before taking your business international.

The tips above will guide you through the first steps in your international expansion. As you’ll notice, many of them are based on determining whether the expansion is even the right choice at this time.

If you’re ready to get into the nitty-gritty, call our business attorneys to learn more about your options and the road ahead.

The De Bruin Law firm offers a wide range of legal services to clients in Greenville, SC and the surrounding upstate. Our experienced attorneys can help you with legal matters in the areas of business law, criminal law, estate planning, and real estate law.

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