Both S corporations and C corporations are helpful business formats to consider. They differ slightly, though, which is why it’s a good idea to learn more about them before you decide that you want to build your company in one of these formations.Here are a few things you should know about each of these business formations and what they’ll mean for your business overall…

When you have a good idea for a business, money may be the only thing standing between you and industry domination. Finding investors for a start-up concept can be a daunting prospect. It is also a process that can put entrepreneurs in a vulnerable position, especially if the business doesn't succeed. Finding investors for your company is important, but you also have to protect yourself and your business idea when you take money from others to make it a reality. Where can you look for potential investors, and how can you protect yourself from liability to those investors if the business doesn't go the way you hope?

Businesses count on contracts to help keep themselves protected. This includes getting the goods and services they need, as well as keeping them from having to deal with frivolous claims of others. It’s imperative that the contracts are valid and enforceable, so they provide those protections. There are sometimes very small points that can make a huge difference in a contract. This goes for written contracts, as well as verbal ones. Because of these finer points, it’s usually best to stick to written contracts that have been reviewed by your attorney.In order to be valid and enforceable, the contract has to contain terms that are legal. Contracts that contain anything illegal won’t be enforceable in court. While this isn’t an issue for most companies, it’s something that must be considered if there’s ever any question about the terms…

Part of starting any business is choosing your business entity. Unfortunately, there are many misconceptions about the entities that exist and how they can be used. That’s why it’s a good idea to get in touch with your attorney early on in this process…

If you’re running a small business, something you’ll want to do is to make sure you limit your liability in the case of an accident or other incident. When you’re running a company, you could be held liable for any injuries that happen there or problems with your products. Depending on your company’s structure, you could personally be liable for those issues…

When you first start a new business, everything may be tentative. You aren't sure how much time or resources you want to invest until you know if you can make your idea into a viable, successful operation. Once you have established that your business concept works and that you are able to run a company, you may need to revisit some of your early decisions and actions to optimize the protections and legal rights of your company. Changing from a sole proprietorship or partnership to some form of corporation is a common choice made by those with successful and growing businesses…

Do you know what your business is worth? You may need to know this because you are getting divorced and have to divide assets. Or, perhaps you are thinking of selling your business so you can retire. You want to price your business to sell, but you don't want to get cheated, either. That's what makes proper valuation of your business so important…

One of the main reasons that people go into business is to make money. However, as a business grows or changes, its profit margins can wind up shrinking instead of growing. That could mean that you have to make some major changes in order to balance your budget and regain control of the company's finances. Common reasons for declining profits include recent mergers or erratic growth patterns in the company. Mergers may mean that there is significant redundancy with multiple departments are people doing the same work. Erratic growth can mean that you built departments a little bit at a time without a focus on efficiency. Restructuring your company is an opportunity to address expenses and increase profits…

One of the easiest business structures to work with is a sole proprietorship. With this form, you are the only person running the business. There is no legal distinction between you and your business While this is the easiest kind of structure to set up, there are some downsides…

You have a fantastic company that is bringing in a lot of money. Your competitor is doing well, too. You both have slightly different markets, but the overlap is enough that you see that there could be a benefit to joining forces. By merging, you believe that you’d be able to access more of the market overall, and your merged company would, essentially, control the market in your region…