Austin TX Business Law Blog

As the COVID-19 pandemic persists, businesses continue to grapple with novel issues, such as how to protect the business from liability exposure while still being able to run a profitable business where employees can come into the office should they need to or want to. While shutdowns have not been in the news as much as they were in the beginning of the pandemic, if the past years have taught us anything, it is that we need to prepare for anything. While many businesses have fully opened up, many are still having employees work remotely. Regardless of how open to in person interactions a business may be, there are likely questions as to how the business can protect itself in the event of a COVID-19 outbreak or should employees or customers contract COVID-19 in the business setting. To help limit potential liability exposure, some businesses have tried to put COVID-19 waivers in place.
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In business, contracts are going to be a necessity at one point or another, and likely at multiple different points in the business operations. Because of this, you should prepare yourself with some foundational knowledge about contracts, what they should include, and the stages of confirmation. Here, we will go over some of the basic stages in the contract formation process.

The Stages of Contract Formation

A contract is, in its most basic sense, a legally binding agreement between two or more parties. A contract is formed to protect and streamline the exchange of a variety of things that can include goods, money, services, or simply promises to be kept between the parties.
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As a business owner or entrepreneur, you will likely need to enter into a commercial lease agreement at one point. You may be the landlord operating commercial rental property or you may be looking for space to rent for your business. Either way, it is important that you understand the terms to include in the commercial lease agreement. Here, we will review some of the essential terms to include and be mindful of when entering into a business lease agreement.

What to Include in a Business Lease Agreement

A business lease agreement will state the terms of the lease.
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Over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, businesses, small businesses in particular, have been hit hard. The Small Business Association (SBA) has launched a number of efforts in order to help small businesses stay afloat during this turbulent time. One such program was the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant Program. While this program stopped accepting new applications as of August 20, 2021, it can still be informative to learn about such SBA programs and monitor the situations should such programs reopen in the future.

The SBA’s Shuttered Venue Operators Grant Program

Established by the Economic Aid to Hard-Hit Small Businesses, Nonprofits, and Venues Act and amended by the American Rescue Plan Act, The Shuttered Venue Operators Grant (SVOG) program is distributing more than $16 billion in grants to shuttered venues.
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Among the life rafts the Small Business Administration (SBA) threw over the course of the Covid-19 pandemic was the Paycheck Protection Plan Loan geared to helping businesses keep their workforce employed throughout the public health crisis. Now, some businesses are still struggling and some are getting back on their feet after the tumultuous ups and downs of the past year or so. Many businesses have applied for PPP loan forgiveness as they continue to fight for the well-being of their business and its employees. Some applications for PPP loan forgiveness have been denied. While not all PPP loans will be forgiven, you may still have the opportunity to appeal denial of your PPP loan forgiveness and it can be well worth the effort.

There are many benefits to running a business from home. Think about it. Starting a business out of your home will immediately cut down on your start-up costs.
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In your business, you may contract with others to either provide or receive services. It is often a necessary part of doing business. Resist the temptation to enter into a mere oral understanding when you are involved in such dealings.
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Starting a business can be a great entrepreneurial endeavor. The ups and downs of businesses can, to a certain extent, not always be planned for. Some of the bigger downs, however, are often preventable.
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Sometimes, a business will want to conduct business matters under a secondary name, or a trade name. This is known as a DBA of “doing business as.” It is also referred to as an assumed name or a fictitious name.

We put so much into developing our businesses. We design products, systems, and specialties to help our businesses grow, succeed, and to set ourselves apart from the competition. With so much time and money that is invested into the development and fine tuning of so many aspects of our businesses, it can be very stressful to consider the possibility of our closely held secrets falling into the hands of competitors or potential competitors. Is there protection available out there to guard against this sort of thing? Read more . . .

Let’s face it, every business is likely to encounter some kind of dispute at one point or another. Competing management styles, difficult team dynamics, and other things can mean big headaches for a company even if it is otherwise thriving. Because of this, it can be important to have a plan in place to help address issues before they become out of control and jeopardize the wellbeing of the business.
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