Contracts & Running a Business
Running the business and protecting it: contract basics and what makes a deal binding, what every client or service agreement should include, website terms and privacy policies, protecting your name with a trademark, NDAs and trade secrets, getting paid when a client won’t, when business debts become your personal problem, and closing a business the right way so the fees and liability actually stop.
All Contracts & Running a Business guides
- NDAs and Protecting Your Trade Secrets
How small businesses use NDAs and reasonable safeguards to protect trade secrets, and how that differs from a non-compete.
- Non-Competes and the Changing Law
Non-compete enforceability is shifting fast: the FTC's federal ban collapsed in court, so it's now a state-by-state question. Here's the current picture.
- Subscriptions, Auto-Renewal, and Cancellation Rules
What federal (ROSCA) and state auto-renewal laws require before you bill a customer on a recurring basis, and how to let them cancel.
- Employee Handbooks and Workplace Policies
Why a written handbook helps even a tiny employer, what to include, and how to avoid creating accidental contract promises.
- Commercial Lease Basics for Small Business
What every small-business tenant should know before signing a commercial lease: gross vs. net rent, personal guarantees, escalation, and exit terms.
- Closing or Dissolving a Business the Right Way
How to formally wind down a business: state dissolution filing, final tax returns, closing your EIN, and stopping fees for good.
- Cybersecurity and Ransomware Basics for Small Business
Data security is a legal duty, not just IT: the FTC Safeguards Rule, the written security plan paid tax preparers must have, state breach law, and how to stop ransomware and invoice fraud.
- Small Business Contracts: The Basics
What makes a contract legally binding, when a handshake deal holds up, and when the law requires it in writing.
- Using AI Tools in Your Small Business: The Legal Risks
Where AI tools create real legal exposure for a small business - confidentiality, copyright, accuracy, hiring, and advertising - and a usable policy.
- Chargebacks and Payment Disputes for Small Businesses
A merchant's guide to chargebacks: where the rules actually come from, why the money leaves your account first, what evidence wins a representment, and how to protect your merchant account.
- Business Debts and Personal Liability
When owners stay personally liable for business debt despite an LLC or corp: guarantees, payroll taxes, and veil piercing.
- Refunds, Returns, and Warranties: What You Must Honor
No federal law makes you take back working goods a customer simply changed their mind about - but posting rules, shipping-delay rules, and warranty law all narrow that freedom.
- What Every Client or Service Agreement Should Include
A plain-English tour of the clauses a freelancer or small business contract should have, and why each one protects you.
- Getting Paid and Dealing With Clients Who Don’t Pay
A practical ladder for small business owners chasing unpaid invoices: reminders, demand letters, small claims, liens, and collecting a judgment.
- Bad Online Reviews and What a Business Can Legally Do
An opinion isn't defamation and platforms generally can't be forced to remove reviews - but gagging reviews in a form contract, buying them, or threatening a reviewer creates real federal exposure.
- The Corporate Transparency Act and BOI Reporting
What the CTA's beneficial-ownership rule requires today, why the answer keeps changing, and how to check fincen.gov and avoid BOI filing scams.
- Independent Contractor Agreements: What to Include
A solid independent-contractor agreement covers scope, payment, IP ownership, confidentiality, termination, and insurance. Here's what to include.
- Website Terms of Service and Privacy Policies
What legal pages an online small business needs: a privacy policy, terms of service, and return policies — plus CAN-SPAM email basics.
- Taking a Customer to Small Claims Court
Small claims is the low-cost, no-lawyer venue for unpaid invoices, but limits, entity rules, and collection are all state-specific.
- E-Signatures and Electronic Contracts
E-signatures are generally as legally valid as ink under federal and state law — but proof, consent, and a few paper exceptions still matter.
- Data Privacy and Breach Basics for Small Business
If your business collects customer data, you likely have privacy and breach-notification duties. Here's the plain-English overview and where to check.
- Email, Text, and Phone Marketing Rules for Small Business
CAN-SPAM covers email; the stricter TCPA governs texts and calls. What small businesses get wrong, and where state law is tougher.
- Protecting Your Business Name With a Trademark
Forming an LLC or filing a DBA doesn't give you trademark rights. Here's how brand protection actually works, and how to check before you launch.
- When Your Small Business Gets Sued
Getting sued is scary but survivable. What to do first, why ignoring it is the worst move, and how your liability shield does and doesn't protect you.