Detroit Startup Week is about a month away.
It is exciting to see the growth in downtown Detroit. Detroit was recently ranked the No. 4 City where Downtown is Making a Comeback.
It must be an exciting time to be part of the downtown Detroit community. The city promises to be buzzing during Detroit Startup Week.
Working in downtown Grand Rapids, I can’t help but mention some of our local startup groups.
We have some great organizations that support small business and encourage entrepreneurship in West Michigan, including:
Entrepreneurs’ Organization of Grand Rapids
Small Business Association of Michigan
Back to Detroit Startup, Week…
You can check out the events schedule, which includes a whole week packed full of valuable events.
I think it no coincidence that the very first day, May 20th, starts out with Detroit’s Small Business Legal Academy.
It seems fitting that a week long celebrating startups begins with education on all the legal ways things can go wrong.
According to the website:
SBLA Detroit will consist of a series of hands-on panels designed to provide practical legal and professional information necessary for new business owners and entrepreneurs to take their businesses to the next level. The panelists will cover legal issues involving real estate, intellectual property, employment, funding, formation, and organizational issues.
From the above excerpt, the legal panels look to discuss real issues that entrepreneurs will run into. I hope many take advantage of these panels.
The reality is that there are a host of legal areas that can turn into pitfalls for startup businesses – I write on quite a few of those areas:
Terms and Conditions in Contracts
Entity Formation and Personal Liability
Cash flow is a barrier for startups. This doesn’t mean you should avoid educating yourself on the legal issues affecting your business.
Take advantage of the resources available.
Consult with an attorney – Particularly law firms friendly to startup businesses.
e-mail: Jeshua@dwlawpc.com
twitter: @JeshuaTLauka
Purpose Driven General Counsel 