How Property Law can Save You Money

How Property Law can Save You Money

There is a great deal to know about property law and what makes it more difficult is that it changes in some way for each state. So if, for instance, you decide to buy a home without consulting a commercial lawyer, you could well do your research from a website that is not in your state unless you are very careful.

Buying and selling real estate is a legal process. There are contracts that need to be drawn up and the wording of them is extremely important, especially in cases that are not cut and dried. While some people feel that all they need is a conveyancer to help them finish the process, it is possible that they are leaving themselves open to fraud, or to loss of some kind that they didn’t expect. And there are many ways by which you can lose money.

For instance, a person purchases a block of ground in a country town, with the intention of building a home on it. They connect the power and water to a shed they built first, then find out that the council won’t allow a septic system in the house because the block is too small. The only toilet they can have is an enviro-toilet, but they don’t like that kind – and neither do any of the other buyers who come to inspect the block.

(more…)

How to Get a Fair Property Settlement After Divorce

How to Get a Fair Property Settlement After Divorce

Many people go through the trauma of divorce and a large part of the bad feeling is due to deciding what a fair property settlement is. Mostly, the two who are divorcing cannot agree on this question and it must be left up to the family lawyers to decide, or the courts, if an amicable settlement cannot be decided on.

It is often assumed that a 50/50 share of all assets and debts would be the fairest solution, but it is not that easy. For a start, one party may have had a lot of assets – or a lot of debts – before they even got married. It hardly seems fair that their ex-spouse has to be responsible for half of that. Then again, one partner may have received an inheritance or compensation for injury, so is the other party entitled to a share of that?

In their legal framework for working out a fair divorce settlement, the Family Law Act never assumes that a 50/50 split is fair. In fact they actually state that it is very likely that such a split would not be fair because there is too much else to consider.

  • The assets and debts have to be correctly identified and valued to start with and often there is non-disclosure by one party that is difficult to get around.

(more…)

Online Reviews Management

Online Reviews Management

Good reviews are the secret recipe to your success!

Did you know that 88% of the customers trust online reviews to make a purchase decision? When it comes to choosing a new brand, more people trust online reviews from peers than you ever imagined. According to online business consultant Peter Brittain, they want to find out how other customers have been treated, and based on their reviews, they make the final decision to either purchase or not. Therefore, if you want your business to succeed and entice new customers, then you need to get good online reviews.

Enhanced search engine rankings with good customer reviews

Did you know that your site’s search engine ranking can get a boost by good reviews? Great customer reviews is a sign that your business is doing good and values its customers. This means that when you have a greater number of positive reviews, your website or page will automatically appear on the first page of the search engine bringing more customers to your business.

We leave no place for negative reviews and reputation!

There is a high chance that many customers aren’t quite delighted with your business and leave negative reviews about your business on different review-sites. Such reviews instantly pop-out, leaving good reviews worth nothing.

But Espresso is here to save your thunder! Our reputation experts will keep a thorough check of every review written in your name. And if someone posts a negative review about you, we will immediately notify you. We will also come up with a plan to knock out such bad reviews and making only good reviews stand-out.

(more…)

Top 5 Intellectual Property Tips Entrepreneurs Should Not Ignore

Top 5 Intellectual Property Tips Entrepreneurs Should Not Ignore

Intellectual Property (IP) comprises a series of legal ownership claims that include trademarks, copyrights, patents, trade secrets and industrial design rights. Small businesses or startups focus less on IP and consequently involve in lawyers in expensive legal issues. This article shares useful tips to help entrepreneurs guard their ideas and IP policy.

Tip#1: Solemnize Ownership Agreement   

A precise agreement formalizing the ownership among the people involved in the business should be made. The agreement should clearly state the business owner/s and how the dividends created by IP will be shared among the founders; upon company’s expansion or merger.

Tip#2: Spend Wisely on Patent Filing

Patent expenses should be focused on strategic IP protection because patent filing is expensive. Sensitive business ideas and core  patent-able schemes should be revealed to a selected few who have agreed to sign a Non Disclosure Agreement (NDA). Consult a legal professional and opt for a provisional patent application first with the U.S Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is an intelligent way for creating temporary IP protection.

Tip#3: Protect Writing Materials

To protect manual, guide, documents and publicity material from infringement, U.S. law supports copyright notices since 1989. Therefore, to avoid legal hassles in the future, ensure that your company stamps all the materials with the copyright symbol or the word “copyright” and the year of creation and first publication.

(more…)

How to Get your Business Online: On Google Maps

How to Get your Business Online: On Google Maps

Getting people to know about your business is important. A business no one knows of will perish, eventually. And one of the important factors for that is enlisting your business on Google maps; in this post, we will talk about how to get your business on Google maps. Google maps can help people identify your business easily and boost it in many ways. This can also help you to create an online reputation for your business.

The very first step is logging into Google My Business from your Google account. Once you do that, you will see two categories:

  • Storefronts: Choose this option if your business has a physical location; like a restaurant or a coffee shop.
  • Service area business: Choose this if you provide service to your customer by reaching them yourself. You can select this option in a business where you deliver things at people’s doorsteps, or similar services.

Once this is done, the next step is to enter your business’ name and address, which can be done from the drop-down menu; if you see your business already listed there, proceed to claim it by completing the verification.

However, if you don’t see your business in the list, state it there in the option given – “No, these are not my businesses” or “I’ve correctly entered the business”. Once done, you will be prompted to enter some additional details, and then you can proceed with verification.

(more…)

Best 5 Productive Biz Apps for Online Entrepreneurs

Best 5 Productive Biz Apps for Online Entrepreneurs

The leading source for a great business idea is compiled from the small business tools at the initial stage. The term entrepreneur fits the exact meaning for “skilled gratitude person”. The startup brings an unbelievable career to the gratitude personalities. The small business owners and other online entrepreneurs start harvesting the currencies over the internet in these days by implementing a smart work.

There are several people in this world making huge cash and leading a pretty life using their strategy on online entrepreneurship.

The internet has become a day-to-day tool for billions of users worldwide. Targeting the specific and the tailored people for the business is just like a hide and seek game in this century. The one who works smart achieves his goal and the output with minimum effort than the one who works hard without any meaningful strategy. The usage of various handy tools could increase the efficiency of the business in this competitive arena.

Some of the “Best 5 productive handy biz apps for small business” are listed below.

  1. Dropbox
  2. MobileDay
  3. Asana
  4. Microsoft Office Mobile
  5. Zoho Invoice.

1. Dropbox

Dropbox is an all time favorite tool for the small business owners to attain a great success. This is a cloud storing platform which could store the files and confidential documents securely without any issue. This service is widely used by several entrepreneurs and telecommuters as well for storing the data on the go. The best part in this platform is that the users get notification regarding any addition or deletion of any files by the colleagues. Thus, a team spirit and the team productivity increases widely. The handy application is also available for smart phones.

(more…)

Small Claims Division of Debt Recovery

Small Claims Division of Debt Recovery

The Local Court’s Small Claims Division was created to hear and rule over cases regarding small debt recovery. They also deal with claims for damages or demands. A small claim is considered anything of $10,000 or less. The goal of this division is to hold jurisdiction for quick, inexpensive, informal legal proceedings. Another important factor is that the normal rules of evidence are not applicable.

The Small Claims Division was originally made so that people could initiate small claims, without the need for legal representation. This is useful for those who would otherwise be unable to afford to make legal claims. However, it also means that the division is limited with how much they can award. The amounts must be in scale to the claims, and remain “small”.

Once the defendant has been served with a statement of claim, they can file a notice indicating that they intend to defend against the claim. The case is then scheduled for a pre-trial review, which will take place in front of a registrar. Both parties must try to come to terms at this pre-trial, without needing to take the matter further. If they can’t come to an agreement, a small claims hearing is organised.  Contact competent Debt Recovery Lawyers

At a small claims hearing, all evidence must be given in the form of written statements or documents. There is no giving of oral evidence in this type of hearing. Evidence must also be filed around a month before the hearing takes place. Without the need for a more traditional court hearing, people can make claims without having to hire lawyers or defend themselves formally.

(more…)

Important Factors When Selling a Business

Important Factors When Selling a Business

Anyone who is contemplating selling a business, needs to factor in a number of things. It is also best to seek legal and financial advice from a commercial or property lawyer. Below is a list of the most important things to consider when you want to sell your business.

  • What makes up your business? Are there any assets that would be sold individually? This basically amounts to figuring out what you are selling, as part of the business.
  • Is there GST to worry about, as with an ongoing concern?
  • Are you currently operating the business on a leased property? If you are, will the landlord let you transfer the lease to the buyer?
  • What other information are you going to give to prospective buyers? This might include records of accounting, or statements used to encourage people to buy the business. How accurate will they be? Be careful that you do not include inaccurate or fraudulent information while trying to sell the business.
  • What will be the implications of selling the business? This includes things like capital gains tax, GST, value of any stock that is still left over, and rollover relief – reinforcing the need for a commercial lawyer.
  • Are all of the financial records well organised and up-to-date?
  • Will it be possible for a buyer to keep the business running while it changes hands? They might need to hire new staff, or find new clients to deal with, for example.
  • What is the business’ competition like at the time of selling, and how is the marketplace?

(more…)

5 Things to Know Before Starting a Family Ecommerce Business

5 Things to Know Before Starting a Family Ecommerce Business

Setting up an ecommerce business comes with its own set of challenges and opportunities. Along with the intricate business strategy and planned details, you most certainly need a team of skilled experts who can take care of the technical aspect of your site.

Running an ecommerce business, and ensuring that all customer orders are dispatched on time and paid for, accordingly, is a trying ordeal and it is great to have as many hands on deck as possible. Some entrepreneurs include their friends in their business to help them take care of the different business operations, while others prefer to set up and manage a family run ecommerce business, which will prove to be an asset for all.

A family ecommerce business is a great way to setup an enterprise where everyone can contribute to take the family business forward. While a family ecommerce business is indeed a great opportunity for many, there are still some things which you will need to keep into account to make sure that your venture is a success. These things are,

Determine Business Structure

One of the most important elements of a business is its type of structure. In Australia, businesses can be a sole proprietorship, partnership, a company as well as a discretionary trust or family enterprise. The family or discretionary trust business structure is one which is ideal if you plan on setting up an ecommerce enterprise.

This business structure ensures great flexibility for the distribution of income, and also holds your business qualified to enjoy different tax benefits. It depends upon the structure details you decide, and you can split the family income with all the members who can gradually become beneficiaries of the trust. Each member will have to make tax payments on the amount of income they receive.

(more…)

Country of Origin Labels, New Requirements

Country of Origin Labels, New Requirements

Misleading information can take many forms, and country of origin labelling has been a hot topic and kept lawyers busy for some time in Australia. A new system for labelling has been approved by the Australian Government. The plan is for the new labels to start hitting supermarket shelves towards the end of 2015. The changes are related to Australia’s Country of Origin Labeling laws that were enacted in February. This is primarily due to a large number of complaints, regarding contaminated foods reaching the Australian supermarkets. One infamous incident involved berries that were said to contain Hepatitis A, which were brought into the country from China.

Who Will Be Affected?

Any business or manufacturer that sells food needs to be aware of the new labelling requirements. This includes any products that contain food, and not just fresh foods. Australian citizens were found, thanks to a survey, to be unaware of what “Made in Australia” actually meant. The new regulations are intended to eliminate this type of confusion. In the future, businesses will be required to specify which parts of a product are actually Australian.

When Will the Changes Take Place?

It’s expected that the new laws will be enforced in 2016, once State Governments are in agreement with the changes. For now, the Federal Government is hoping that companies will start to adopt the new labels voluntarily, by the end of 2015.

(more…)