While the JOBS Act turns four years old on April 5, we won’t have the final rules for Title III equity crowdfunding for non-accredited investors until May 16. That’s less than sixty days from now. What should entrepreneurs do to take advantage of this new avenue for capital?

Continue reading “Forbes Blog: Ready, Steady, Go: Get Prepared For JOBS Act Title III Crowdfunding, Part 1”

This is a guest blog from Bennett Collen of Cognate.

Continue reading “Why Monitoring Your Trademarks is a Good Idea”

Some might summarize the last four years since the JOBS Act was passed as the best—and worst—of times. On a positive note, we have seen Title II and Title IV become a reality. Unfortunately, peoples’ discomfort with the rules have limited the general solicitation made possible by Title II. Last time, I wrote here on the preparation needed for the May 16th launch of Title III equity crowdfunding.

Continue reading “FORBES Update: What You Need To Know About Upcoming Changes To Crowdfunding Legislation, Part II”

Last week I was on a Hubspot customer panel during the Hubspot for Startups event here in Phoenix. Prior to the panel, Dan Tyre and Juliana Nicholson shared their wisdom on the inbound marketing methodology.  

Continue reading “Inbound Marketing: You Can Do It Too!”

In the last installment of our lessons learned series, Mike Willee and I covered the topic of mentorship. Here, we move onto funding. As an accountant and entrepreneur, I’m guided by the motto “cash is king.” From the day you start your business, money isn’t far from your mind. While you may have far-flung dreams of one day having enough money to retire to a private island, your more immediate concern is what you have at hand. We’ve all heard the axiom, “you have to spend money to make money,” and that has never seemed truer than it does today.

Continue reading “FORBES Update: Funding the Startup Dream”

For years I have been a big fan of the clever writing on The Big Bang Theory. We tease various family members about sharing Sheldon’s outlandish tendencies or making the same faces as Penny. However, a recent episode had me laughing for a different reason: patent mistakes!

Continue reading “Big Bang or Big Bust?”

Earlier this year, I attended Davis Wright Tremaine’s (DWT) Digital Download event. Hosted by Digital Counsel, the continuing education event examined themes in law, technology, and the impact of both on companies and clients. I was looking forward to the social media and wearables sessions, but my interest was piqued during the opening remarks by promises of shoes that are programmable to change color to match your outfit.

Continue reading “Law Technology Today Update: If The Shoe Fits, Get One in Every Color”

At Traklight, we often preach the importance of contracts and agreements. It’s an admirable quality to have faith in others, and there are many times that faith is rewarded. But the fact remains that while it’s nice to hope for the best, it’s prudent to plan for the worst. That even applies when it comes to those whom you choose to cast your business lot in with: your co-founders. There are far too many cases of partnerships gone awry to think that your particular pairing will never run into problems. And money can only compound those issues, as evidenced in the case of Cruise Automation, a company that was recently acquired for a considerable sum by General Motors and subsequently saw  founding members fight over shares of that prize.

Continue reading “Co-founders Argue Over Acquisition Payout”

In this installment of our lessons learned series (co-authored by me and Traklight’s Mike Willee), we move from funding challenges to getting your product or service to market. You start a business with the aim of creating a product or service to offer to consumers or businesses. You spend time and resources developing this product along with a website to showcase your creation. But when you unveil your new business for the world to see, you’re met with indifference.  While it’s probably unreasonable to expect that customers would be beating down your door from day one, you expected at least a few curious souls to check out what you have to offer. Such can be the frustration that comes when you neglect to build your brand before your launch.

Continue reading “FORBES Update: Build It and They May Not Come”

Social media is a great way to connect to a large audience. It allows for individuals and companies to share content with people all over the world. But the inherent danger that comes with such a large audience is the increased number of people who might misappropriate your creations. The relative anonymity that you can find online emboldens many to steal video, audio and pictures from others. Now Facebook is introducing a tool to try to combat copyright infringement on the platform. 

Continue reading “Facebook Introduces Rights Manager to Combat Infringement”