How We Work For Businesses
We plan for your business far differently than other lawyers and law firms.
Business guidance begins with a LIFT Your Life and Business Planning Session to either discuss what's needed in your new business if you're not quite off the ground yet, or if you're already in operation, to review the legal, insurance, financial, and tax systems in place in your business now.
Kristy Goldman is the holistic business advisor you've been looking for. She doesn't just put in place legal documents or act reactively, but instead gives you the peace of mind of knowing you've set your business up right from the start and your business systems keep up with your growth trajectory.
Goldman Law Group focuses on the details, so you can maintain your high-level, creative focus on growing the company and serving the right clients and customers.
▪ Entity Formation & Maintenance
▪ Business Succession Planning
▪ Agreements & Sealing The Deal
▪ Intellectual Property Into Profits
▪ Hiring & Firing
▪ Insurance Review
▪ Tax Strategies
Entity Formation & Maintenance
Create Your Dream
Our Comprehensive Approach
Forming your business entity at Goldman Law Group is not one-size-fits-all and is never handled in a vacuum. If you wanted one-size-fits-all, you could use a document drafting service or online legal document website.
Before we form your entity, we get to know you, what’s important to you, what your business is going to do in the world, and how you plan to exit it. We ask you questions that will inform us of the tax structure of your entity, how you own the entity, and what happens to your business entity when you pass on (or you pass the company to a new owner).
We ask you the questions so you don't worry that you don’t know the right ones to ask. We discuss your options with you in a way that lets you know you're making informed decisions about:
✔ Where to form your entity (your home state or various other states with advantageous laws depending on your business are all possible options);
✔ What type of entity to form (LLC, S-Corporation, LLC taxed as an S-Corporation, Partnership, or C-Corporation are the most likely options we'll consider);
✔ How to set up your bank accounts, what type of insurance to get, which agreements you need immediately (and which can wait), which intellectual property to protect (and whether to own it in a separate entity from your operating assets), how much and what type of insurance you need, how to work with your CPA for max tax savings, and more.
We see the formation of your business entity as just the beginning of a long-term relationship in which we're able to become the trusted counselor you turn to for help with all of your business decisions.
Maintaining Your Business Entity – Compliance & So Much More
We don’t really like the word "compliance" because it seems to suggest we're going to restrict you in some way - but it’s just the opposite.
Maintaining your business entity is about the “nutrients” of a business that's well cared for.
Through our membership programs, we take care of all the little details, so you can stay creative and expansive.
At most business planning law firms, the relationship ends when you sign your incorporation documents.
At Goldman Law Group, we see the signing of your entity formation documents as the beginning of our relationship with your business – not the end.
Over time, your business will change and grow, your ownership structure may change, and we know for sure the law will change.
Your business documents must accommodate all of these changes in order to make sure your business is on track for growth and continued success.
If your business doesn't have annual meetings, maintain meeting minutes, have agreements, and isn't properly updated and maintained over time, your legal documents may become worthless - worth no more than the paper they were printed on.
The costs of failing to update your legal documents regularly are typically far greater than keeping everything current.
To help you make sure your entity is maintained properly, we offer ongoing strategic and tactical support to ensure your business has the continued foundation necessary for growth.
Our membership programs are designed so we can proactively monitor the activities of your business on a weekly, monthly, or quarterly basis.
By doing this, we can stay on top of your business’ legal, insurance, financial, and tax details, so you can relax and be more creative, more expansive, and live more into the possibilities for your business knowing everything else is handled.
For more information about our unique programs, schedule your LIFT Your Life and Business Planning Session online.
Schedule Your LIFT Your Life and Business Planning Session Today [BUTTON LINK TO THE LIFT YOUR LIFE AND BUSINESS PLANNING SESSION SCHEDULING PAGE]
Leaving a Real Legacy – Business Succession Planning
How We Guide You to Leave a Legacy - That’s About Much More Than Just Your Money
As an entrepreneur, your legacy may be the most significant issue you think about when it comes to what matters most to you – your family and your work in the world.
After you're gone or in the event of your incapacity, your loved ones, family, business partner, clients, vendors, and others will miss you deeply. Your business needs to be able to go on to support them.
You'll either leave them with a legacy that's meaningful and easy to manage or you may cash out and keep supporting them. The alternative is you'll leave them with a big mess to deal with.
Time and time again, this issue is overlooked by business owners and business lawyers serving their business owner clients.
Not here.
Our Ongoing Conversation
Once your business entity is incorporated and online with agreements, insurance, intellectual property planned for and protected, and financial systems filling the coffers, we shift the conversation away from set-up to the all-important exit.
It’s not the first time we'll have discussed it, as all of our business set-ups are planned for based on your eventual exit plan, whether that's selling the business at a certain point, operating it for income as long as desired, or passing your business on upon your death.
We'll have an ongoing conversation throughout your life and the life of your business.
We'll explore together what can we do today to ensure your business can and will continue to serve you and your clients well, whether you're on vacation, taking a health break, or when you pass it on to loved ones after you're gone.
Schedule Your LIFT Your Life and Business Planning Session Today [BUTTON LINK TO THE LIFT YOUR LIFE AND BUSINESS PLANNING SESSION SCHEDULING PAGE]
How Tax Strategy Saves You Big Bucks - Don’t Get Blindsided
When you structure your tax situation properly, you could be paying less than 10% of your income in taxes. Yes, less than 10%.
Or, if you plan poorly in this area or neglect to plan at all, you could be paying as much as 50% of your income in taxes.
Strategic planning makes the difference.
Paying more in taxes means so many things you really don’t want:
✓ You're leaving less for your family, your message, and your legacy.
✓ You're living on less and limiting what you can invest in your business.
✓ You're operating in fear because you have no idea what this year’s tax liability will be.
✓ You're dreading the next meeting with your CPA because they'll ask for records you don't have readily available, making the meeting a whole list of to-do’s that you don't have time for.
While we're not tax advisors, this is another one of those areas where, with our creative business strategy plans, we'll support you by ensuring you're meeting regularly with your CPA, strategizing in advance of tax season, and avoiding getting blindsided by a huge tax burden you didn't plan for.
We'll even meet personally with you and your CPA on our higher-level Business Growth Membership programs so you understand the tax strategies your CPA recommends and you're able to easily make decisions about sometimes complex issues.
You can look to us save money on taxes, understand your taxes easily, and most importantly, take action on the advice you receive when it comes to reducing your tax liability.
Schedule Your LIFT Your Life and Business Planning Session Today [BUTTON LINK TO THE LIFT YOUR LIFE AND BUSINESS PLANNING SESSION SCHEDULING PAGE]
Making Agreements & Signing Deals - The Future Of Your Business Hinges On It
Incorporating your business entity is just the very beginning – we help your business GROW!
You probably haven’t thought of your business like this, but it’s just a series of agreements: agreements with investors or lenders, clients and vendors, employees and independent contractors, partners and customers.
The success of your business depends on your ability to make agreements and seal the deal.
This is where most business owners struggle mightily, and we can help.
We love to create clear agreements and help you set boundaries and manage expectations. We know the future of your business hinges on it.
That’s why we won’t simply incorporate your business and send you on your way.
Every engagement with us begins with either a review of your current agreements or, if you don’t have any, the creation of the core agreements that are vital to your business.
We will then proactively monitor your business activities to ensure we're helping you seal the deal on an ongoing basis.
Plus, we'll provide you with fully-customized template agreements you can use to handle recurring agreements that come up consistently, such as those with your clients.
We use an innovative agreement process that gets all parties on the same page and leads only to triple-win situations – meaning the agreement is a win for you, a win for the other party, and a win for the situation as a whole. If it’s not, then no deal.
We understand it's your upfront agreements and your/our ability to renegotiate those agreements that will keep you in the flow of business and out of the crunch of conflict.
If you have undocumented agreements (or no agreements at all), we'll map out exactly how to secure the foundation – and future – of your business during your LIFT Your Life and Business Planning Session. We'll support you to take your business to the next level with the agreements your business deserves.
Schedule Your LIFT Your Life and Business Planning Session Today [BUTTON LINK TO THE LIFT YOUR LIFE AND BUSINESS PLANNING SESSION SCHEDULING PAGE]
Intellectual Property Into Profits - Your Ideas Are Valuable
We imagine that like most business owners, you're frequently coming up with new ideas for product lines, businesses, programs, and services.
How do you sort through all of your ideas?
How do you know what to move forward with, what goes in the “maybe someday” pile, and what should be acted upon immediately?
Having a trusted and objective advisor to run those questions by is a great idea. Who can you trust to give you unbiased, smart, and thoughtful guidance? You can trust us.
In fact, running your visionary plans by your business lawyer is the best thing you could do.
As your business lawyers, Goldman Law Group can help you make the decision about whether to move forward with a potential deal or new revenue stream within the context of your overall business objectives AND we can ensure that any new deal is properly documented and your intellectual property is protected.
From trademarks to copyrights and protection of your branding, systems, and processes, we'll help you determine what really is protection-worthy with formal registration with the United States Patent & Trademark Office (or other international jurisdictions), and what can benefit from a simple, easy, and free stake of your claim.
When you participate in one of our ongoing creative strategy business plans, we'll regularly connect with you to discover new ideas that have cropped up, any new domains you might have registered, and new content you've created.
We'll help you ensure it's all protected to the maximum extent that makes sense and that your ideas are safe and sound so you can make the most of them in the world.
Making Agreements & Signing Deals - The Future Of Your Business Hinges On It
Incorporating your business entity is just the very beginning – we help your business GROW!
You probably haven’t thought of your business like this, but it’s just a series of agreements: agreements with investors or lenders, clients and vendors, employees and independent contractors, partners and customers.
The success of your business depends on your ability to make agreements and seal the deal.
This is where most business owners struggle mightily, and we can help.
We love to create clear agreements and help you set boundaries and manage expectations. We know that the future of your business hinges on it.
That’s why we won’t simply incorporate your business and send you on your way.
Every engagement with us begins with either a review of your current agreements or, if you don’t have any, the creation of the core agreements that are vital to your business.
Then, we'll proactively monitor your business activities to ensure we're helping you seal the deal on an ongoing basis.
Plus, we'll provide you with fully-customized template agreements you can use to handle recurring agreements that come up consistently, such as those with your clients.
We use an innovative agreement process that gets all parties on the same page and leads only to triple-win situations – meaning the agreement is a win for you, a win for the other party, and a win for the situation as a whole. If it’s not, then no deal.
We understand it's your upfront agreements and your/our ability to renegotiate those agreements that will keep you in the flow of business and out of the crunch of conflict.
Schedule Your LIFT Your Life and Business Planning Session Today [BUTTON LINK TO THE LIFT YOUR LIFE AND BUSINESS PLANNING SESSION SCHEDULING PAGE]
Hiring & Firing
Hiring and firing team members is the single most expensive part of your business, bar none. Most entrepreneurs simply have no idea how to go about it, not just from a legal perspective, but from a how-to-run-your-business perspective.
We can help you hire right, train smart, and fire when necessary so you keep as much time and money in your business as possible.
You’ve heard the saying, “hire slow and fire fast,” right? That makes a whole lot of sense when you have the right legal processes for hiring and firing in place. If you don’t, this can be a sticky, tricky area. In fact, hiring and firing could very well be the biggest risk area in your business.
What are some of the risks?
There’s a whole lot you need to know about when it comes to how you hire – what you can say and not say, what you can ask and must never ask, how to set up payroll, designate team members as independent contractors or employees, and of course, how to fire.
Hiring and firing team members is your greatest area of risk in your business. We mitigate that risk.
For a review of your employee handbook, contact us at info@goldmanlawatx.com or schedule a LIFT Foundation Audit.
Insurance Says “I Love You” - Really!
You read that right – insurance really does say "I love you." You have insurance because you love your family, your partners, your clients, and ultimately yourself.
Let me explain.
When you have the right type and amount of insurance, you can relax knowing that whatever comes up is handled.
As a business owner, you need to consider general business insurance, professional liability insurance, employment practices insurance, special events insurance, and more.
Personally, you need to consider personal lines of insurance such as insurance to care for your home, your vehicles, your income, and most importantly, life insurance to care for your family and loved ones should anything happen to you.
It's very easy to be persuaded to buy too much insurance or the wrong kind of insurance. On the flip side, it's easy to not get enough or to overlook an important type of insurance because the insurance professional you're working with is more of an order-taker than a consultant or advisor.
We'll support you to get just the right amount and type of insurance in place.
As part of our creative business strategy plans, we'll recommend a trusted insurance advisor if you don't already have one by reviewing what you already do have in place, assessing your business and potential risks, and being the trusted counselor you can turn to for an objective, third party review of your coverage. We don't get paid a commission on your insurance, so you can trust our unbiased guidance.
During your LIFT Your Life and Business Planning Session, we'll review your insurance and either confirm you're set up right with the right amounts and types of insurance, or will make recommendations if there are gaps in coverage.
Schedule Your LIFT Your Life and Business Planning Session Today [BUTTON LINK TO THE LIFT YOUR LIFE AND BUSINESS PLANNING SESSION SCHEDULING PAGE]
Hiring & Firing
Hiring and firing team members is the single most expensive part of your business, bar none. Most entrepreneurs simply have no idea how to go about it, not just from a legal perspective, but from a how-to-run-your-business perspective.
We can help you hire right, train smart, and fire when necessary so you keep as much time and money in your business as possible.
You’ve heard the saying, “hire slow and fire fast,” right? That makes a whole lot of sense when you have the right legal processes for hiring and firing in place. If you don’t, this can be a sticky, tricky area. In fact, hiring and firing could very well be the biggest risk area in your business.
What are some of the risks?
There’s a whole lot you need to know about when it comes to how you hire – what you can say and not say, what you can ask and must never ask, how to set up payroll, designate team members as independent contractors or employees, and of course, how to fire.
Hiring and firing team members is your greatest area of risk in your business. We mitigate that risk.
For a review of your employee handbook, contact us at info@goldmanlawatx.com or schedule a LIFT Foundation Audit.
Maintaining Your Business Entity – Compliance & So Much More
We don’t really like the word "compliance" because it seems to suggest that we're going to restrict you in some way - but it’s just the opposite.
Maintaining your business entity is about the “nutrients” of a business that's well cared for.
Through our membership programs, we take care of all the little details so you can stay creative and expansive.
At most business planning law firms, the relationship ends when you sign your incorporation documents.
At Goldman Law Group, we see the signing of your entity formation documents as the beginning of our relationship with your business – not the end.
Over time, your business will change and grow, your ownership structure may change, and we know for sure the law will change.
Your business documents must accommodate all of these changes in order to make sure your business is on track for growth and continued success.
If your business doesn't have annual meetings, maintain meeting minutes, have agreements, and isn't properly updated and maintained over time, your legal documents may become worthless - worth no more than the paper they were printed on.
The costs of failing to update your legal documents regularly are typically far greater than keeping everything current.
To help you make sure your entity is maintained properly, we offer ongoing strategic and tactical support.
When you structure your tax situation properly, you could be paying less than 10% of your income in taxes. Yes, less than 10%.
Or, if you plan poorly in this area or neglect to plan at all, you could be paying as much as 50% of your income in taxes.
Strategic planning makes the difference.
Paying more in taxes means so many things you really don’t want:
✓ You're leaving less for your family, your message, and your legacy.
✓ You're living on less and limiting what you can invest in your business.
✓ You're operating in fear because you have no idea what this year’s tax liability will be.
✓ You're dreading the next meeting with your CPA because they'll ask for records you don't have readily available, making the meeting a whole list of to-do’s that you don't have time for.
While we aren't tax advisors, this is another one of those areas where, with our creative business strategy plans, we'll support you by ensuring you're meeting regularly with your CPA, strategizing in advance of tax season, and avoiding getting blindsided by a huge tax burden you didn't plan for.
We'll even meet personally with you and your CPA on our higher-level Business Growth Membership programs so you understand the tax strategies your CPA recommends and you're able to easily make decisions about sometimes complex issues.
You can look to us to save money on taxes, understand your taxes easily, and most importantly, take action on the advice you receive when it comes to reducing your tax liability.
Schedule Your LIFT Your Life and Business Planning Session Today [BUTTON LINK TO THE LIFT YOUR LIFE AND BUSINESS PLANNING SESSION SCHEDULING PAGE]