As a Maine-based small business owner, you might find yourself having to travel, abroad or within the United States. When traveling abroad, it may be tempting to take a couple of extra days to do some sightseeing. It’s important to remember that the tax rules for foreign business travel differ from those for domestic trips.  Continue Reading »

It can be a complex process to create an effective retirement program that meets the needs of both you, as a small business owner, and your employees. There are business strategies involved, like how to motivate employees to stay at the business, but there are also tax rules at play. On top of everything, you  Continue Reading »

LightLab Imaging, Inc. v. Axsun Technologies, Inc., 2014 Mass. LEXIS 585 (July 28, 2014) Readers may remember the Manpower case in which the 7th Circuit struck down the trial court’s decision to exclude expert testimony based on what it considered questionable data underlying the expert’s generally accepted methodology. A recent state appellate decision in a  Continue Reading »

With so much technology available to us today, more and more people are able to set up home-based businesses. Many times, owners of these businesses don’t realize how vulnerable they are to significant money losses if something such as fire, theft or natural disaster were to occur. A survey commissioned by the Independent Insurance Agents  Continue Reading »

When it comes to businesses, there is a great deal of confusion over the legal meaning and significance of fictitious and corporate names. A company is a lot more likely to face a legal trademark challenge now simply because more businesses are operating nationally and coming into contact with each other. Contrary to popular misconception,  Continue Reading »

As a Maine-based small business owner, you know that even the most successful companies can get caught in a rut now and then: a vicious cycle of status-quo marketing and current-customer dependence. If this sounds familiar, it might be time to take action to help increase sales and profits. Here are five tips to get  Continue Reading »

Hipple v. SCIX, LLC, 2014 U.S. LEXIS 113198 (Aug. 13, 2014) Calculation reports periodically become a point of contention in litigation in trial and appeals courts. Courts have responded in different ways to questions about their usefulness and reliability. A recent case explores the issue of whether expert testimony based on a calculation of value  Continue Reading »

In order for lenders to award credit, they need to see detailed budgets, including cash flow forecasts. These have to include realistic projections, not guesses at profit and revenues. Cash flow projections are especially important as they show how small businesses intend to pay back their loans. Even if a Maine-based small business isn’t looking  Continue Reading »

Finby v. Finby, 2013 Cal. App. Unpub. LEXIS 9097 (Dec. 18, 2013) A California divorce case in which one spouse was a financial advisor with an impressive client list raised a host of conceptual and technical valuation questions as to the community’s interest in her “book of business” and several sizable conditional bonuses she received  Continue Reading »

2014 might not have had a very active hurricane season, but it did have its fair share of other natural and manmade disasters, including blizzards, wildfires, mudslides, and riots. These tragedies serve as sobering reminders to always expect the unexpected. When it comes to your Maine-based business, it’s important to remember that it could become  Continue Reading »