When it comes to your business, you want to do whatever you can to ensure that it’s smooth sailing so you can enjoy being successful. It’s exciting to run a business and offer something useful or unique to customers, but it also comes with many practical responsibilities, including some legal ones. Here are a few legal considerations you should think about for your business.
- Legal structure- If you’re starting a new business, you need to think about what legal structure your company should take. The structure you choose will impact your liability and how you pay your taxes. Some common legal structures include sole proprietorships, general partnerships, limited liability companies, S-Corps, and C-corps.
- Licenses- Most businesses are required to have licenses or permits in order to operate legally. The types of licenses may depend on the state or type of business you are running. Restaurants, for example, require a food service permit.
- Insurance- Having the proper insurance for your business is essential. For example, in Georgia, if you have three or more employees, you will need workers’ compensation insurance to pay for any injuries employees obtain while at work.
Because most legal decisions you make for your business will depend on many specific factors, it will be useful to get advice or services from a legal professional. In addition to providing you with valuable information about legal structures, licenses, and insurance, they can also help you with drafting and reviewing documents. They will be able to look at your particular business and help you make sound, lawful decisions.