Business Law for the Small Business Owner
Learn
how to successfully protect your small business and solve most of the legal
problems that may arise. In this six-week online course, you'll see how to
avoid the costly legal problems that many small business owners make when
setting up and operating their businesses. You'll learn how to deal with
issues such as contracts, employee relations, customer relations, and
choosing the right business model.
You'll also find out how to deal with government licensing requirements and
regulations, as well as problems with tax collectors. And we'll go over
special considerations for home-based and Internet-based businesses. You'll
discover how to handle many minor legal disputes, such as collection issues
and small claims, on your own, without spending a lot of money for legal
counsel. The information in this course will allow you to spend more of your
valuable time running your business and making money.
To enroll in this course, click the Enroll Now button below:
Requirements:
Internet access; e-mail; and the Microsoft Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox Web browser.
Syllabus:
All courses run for six weeks, with a two-week grace period at the end.
Two lessons are released each week for the six-week duration of the course.
You do not have to be present when the lesson is released, but you must
complete each lesson within two weeks of its release.
A new section of each course starts on the second or third Wednesday of each
month. If enrolling in a series of two or more courses, please be sure to
space the start date for each course at least two months apart.
| Week One |
| Wednesday - Lesson 01 |
| Whether you dream of owning your own business or
you're already knee-deep in running one, you probably have a lot of
legal questions. And all these questions probably spring from one
overarching question: What exactly is a small business from a
legal standpoint? In this lesson, you'll find out the answer to that
question, and you'll learn about the basic requirements for getting
a small business going or expanding an existing business, including
choosing a business name or changing the one you have. |
| Friday - Lesson 02 |
| Before you start a business, you have to choose a
business model. And once your business really gets going, you may
find yourself wanting to change the model. Today, you'll learn about
the major business models including sole proprietorships,
partnerships, and corporations. You'll find out how these different
structures affect you legally and financially, and I'll give you
advice on how to choose the one that best meets your needs. You'll
also find out how to change to a different model if your business is
growing or you want to expand. |
| Week Two |
| Wednesday - Lesson 03 |
| As a business owner, you'll be dealing with many
different types of contracts and agreements. You've probably heard
that contracts can be verbal or written, but what's the difference?
You'll find out in this lesson. You'll also learn how to make sure
any contract you enter into is legal and binding so that you get
what you want from it. I'll explain what to look for in a contract
and how to enforce one if someone fails to hold up their end of the
deal. You might be surprised to learn that when you need to enforce
a contract, a lawsuit isn't always the right answer. |
| Friday - Lesson 04 |
| Some of the biggest legal issues facing small
business owners come from having employees. If you're going to hire
people to work for you, there are several employment options for you
to consider. In this lesson, you'll find out about the advantages
and disadvantages of hiring full-time employees, part-time
employees, and independent contractors. By the end of the lesson,
you'll know how to properly go about hiring and firing employees so
you and your business are protected from possible lawsuits. We'll
also go over salary and wage issues, as well as the workers'
compensation laws that apply if an employee is injured on the job.
|
| Week Three |
| Wednesday - Lesson 05 |
| Once you have employees, it becomes your
responsibility to provide them with a safe work environment and to
protect them from discrimination. Today, you'll find out about the
Occupational Safety and Health Administration's regulations and how
to comply with them. You'll also learn more about environmental,
state, and local regulations on your business. We'll talk about how
you can keep your workplace from becoming a "hostile work
environment," and you'll discover how a good employee handbook can
go a long way in shielding your business from complaints. |
| Friday - Lesson 06 |
| Having the right insurance is critical to
protecting you and your small business. In this lesson, you'll learn
about the different types of insurance your business might need,
including auto insurance, general liability insurance, workers'
compensation insurance, and fire and theft policies. You'll get
advice on how to choose the right insurance, how to file a claim,
and how to deal with insurance adjusters. |
| Week Four |
| Wednesday - Lesson 07 |
| Since you're probably going into business to make
money, you'll inevitably be dealing with customers or clients. Your
relationship with the people outside your business can make you or
break you. In this lesson, you'll get familiar with the dos and
don'ts of advertising your business, and you'll see how to avoid the
legal pitfalls of false advertising. I'll introduce you to product
liability issues and the proper ways to provide credit to customers.
In addition, you'll find out how to successfully collect debts if
people fail to pay you for the goods or services you provide. |
| Friday - Lesson 08 |
| Today, you'll learn how you can protect your most
important business assets, including your good name and trade
secrets. If you're running a successful business, you don't want
someone stealing your name or your inventions and passing them off
as their own. You'll discover how to protect yourself with patents,
trademarks, and copyrights. Each of these covers different areas, so
you'll learn which ones you might need for your business and how you
can get them. |
| Week Five |
| Wednesday - Lesson 09 |
| One thing you can be sure of is that you're going
to be paying taxes on your business or the income you receive from
your business. So you'll need to know which taxes to pay and how to
legally minimize what you have to spend to satisfy the tax
collectors on the federal, state, and local levels. Today, you'll
learn about income taxes, sales and use taxes, and other forms of
taxation. We'll go over your rights as a taxpayer, and you'll find
out how to take all the deductions you can as a small business
owner. |
| Friday - Lesson 10 |
| We've talked about some of the government
regulations you'll have to follow as a business owner, but believe
it or not, there are more! In this lesson, you'll learn more about
zoning laws, licenses and permits, and privacy laws that affect your
business. We'll talk about how to keep up with the necessary
paperwork to make government regulators happy, and you'll learn how
to avoid costly mistakes. Finally, we'll discuss your rights as a
business owner so that you can protect yourself when regulators come
calling. |
| Week Six |
| Wednesday - Lesson 11 |
| Home-based businesses are more popular than ever,
and they can eliminate many of the expenses and legal requirements
that you have to deal with in traditional businesses. But you still
have to follow certain laws and regulations, and you'll learn all
about them in today's lesson. You'll find out how to make sure your
home-based business complies with zoning laws and subdivision or
apartment regulations. You'll also learn about what insurance you'll
need and the taxes you'll have to pay. We'll even cover some of the
unique opportunities for using the Internet successfully. |
| Friday - Lesson 12 |
| We'll wrap things up in this lesson by going
through a step-by-step process for handling legal matters on your
own. Attorneys are expensive, but you can avoid using them in most
cases if you simply know how to go about dealing with claims against
you or claims you have against someone else. I'll teach you how to
negotiate settlements and how to use mediation and binding
arbitration if negotiations fail. If you do have to go to court to
collect a debt, you'll see how to file your own lawsuit in small
claims court and successfully win your case. |
To enroll in this course, click the Enroll Now button below:
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