Excerpts from an Interview about The Business Owner's Pocket Guide

 

 

Recently I was asked some pointed questions about my inspiration and motivation for writing The Business Owner’s Pocket Guide and I thought I’d share those thoughts here:

 

 

 

What was the motivation behind writing The Business Owner’s Pocket Guide?

The purpose of The Business Owner’s Pocket Guide was to help owners of small to medium sized businesses build stronger companies. As a small business owner myself, I know that these companies are the lifeblood of our economy…and I wanted to help make them better. Through The Business Owner’s Pocket Guide, I wanted to provide business owners with answers before it was too late by focusing on areas of critical importance throughout the life of their companies. I wrote the Guide to address bottom line concerns – even legal issues – in an easily relatable way in the hope that it may not only help business owners avoid unnecessary risks, but also travel well down their chosen path.

How was the content selected for The Business Owner’s Pocket Guide and what makes this guide different?

Having counseled businesses of nearly every size and description for over 20 years, I've gained an understanding of what’s important to business owners. Many of the major concerns cut across industry lines:

  • What do I need in my contracts to ensure that I’m going to get paid?
  • Should I ask my salespeople to sign a non-compete agreement?
  • What should I do if I want to bring on a new investor?
  • What happens if the owners of the company can’t agree on critical issues, and how can we prevent the problem before it arises?
  • How do I position my company for sale when I’m ready to retire?

I drafted the Guide based on the questions and concerns I saw over and over again. Then I sent the rough copy out to a group of business owners to get their feedback. I think that’s what makes it different – it’s not a textbook and it’s not written to sound “like a lawyer.” It addresses real world issues in an easily accessible way…and it’s free!

Who can and will use The Business Owner’s Pocket Guide? 

In the few days since it has been out, it’s been downloaded by business owners in industries ranging from landscaping to catering, professional service firms, and even some folks in local government. Basically, I see the Guide as a valuable tool for business owners and managers, regardless of industry, and whether the business has 5 people or 500. 

I wrote it to address issues across the board…and it seems from the enthusiastic early reception as though it is doing just that.

Visit www.wagonheim.com to download The Business Owner’s Pocket Guide and come back here to leave your thoughts and comments.

The Business Owner’s Pocket Guide is the third in a series including The Contractor’s Pocket Guide and The Banker’s Pocket Guide, which were released over the past several years by Wagonheim & Associates.

 

Eliot M. Wagonheim

Since the inception of his practice in 1987, Eliot M. Wagonheim has focused solely upon the representation of businesses. Over the past 20+ years, Eliot has worked with privately held companies of every size and description in transactional and commercial litigation matters throughout the mid-Atlantic area. As general counsel to the majority of his clients, Eliot is frequently called upon to advise his clients on issues pertaining to M&A transactions, contractual negotiation, drafting and enforcement, employment law, collection, stockholder disputes, and general corporate matters.

Eliot is a frequent lecturer on business and construction topics presented for attorneys, accountants, and industry professionals. He is the author of The Art of Getting Paid (1996), Get Your Money: How to Protect Your Business Without Losing Your Customers (2000), The DebtCollect® Recovery System (2004), The Contractor's Pocket Guide (2006), The Commercial Banker’s Pocket Guide (2008), The Business Owner’s Pocket Guide (anticipated Fall, 2009) and numerous articles for such publications as The Daily Record, The Baltimore Sun, and the Baltimore Business Journal.

Eliot is a member of the Maryland State Bar Association and was appointed in 2008 to the MSBA Professionalism Committee by the President of the Maryland State Bar Association. His firm, Wagonheim & Associates, is a Crystal Sponser of Susan G. Komen (Maryland) Race for the Cure. Eliot can be reached by email at ewagonheim@wagonheim.com.

Kimberly A. Bohle

Kim Bohle graduated from The Dickinson School of Law of the Pennsylvania State University and began her practice in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, focusing on commercial litigation including insurance defense and the defense of products liability and premises liability claims. In 2004, Kim relocated to practice with a prominent Towson law firm, representing diverse clients in the acquisition, subdivision, development, sale and exchange of residential and commercial properties, while continuing her litigation work. Immediately prior to joining Wagonheim & Associates, Kim represented clients in the areas of real estate development, finance and leasing at a small firm in Annapolis.

Kim joined Wagonheim & Associates in 2008 where she continues to develop her construction, real estate, and commercial transactional practice.

Kim is a member of the Maryland State Bar Association and the Section of Real Property, Planning and Zoning, the Baltimore County Bar Association and the International Council of Shopping Centers. Kim can be reached by email at kbohle@wagonheim.com.

Kimberly J. Hankins

Kimberly Hankins joined Wagonheim & Associates, LLC in 2006 as a law clerk while pursuing her Juris Doctorate and, upon her bar admission in 2008, began work as an Associate at the firm. Kimberly focuses her practice on commercial litigation and the representation of small to medium-sized Maryland companies. She has worked with clients in a variety of matters including defense of employment-related claims, construction law, and general commercial litigation.

Kimberly is a member of the Maryland State Bar Association, the MSBA Young Lawyers Section, and the Women’s Bar Association. She also serves on the Executive Committee of Komen Maryland’s Race for the Cure, and has been an active volunteer and race participant with the Komen Foundation since 1998. Kimberly can be reached by email at khankins@wagonheim.com.

Michael J. Lentz

Mike Lentz graduated from Georgetown University Law Center in 1998. After spending five years with large Baltimore firms and three years as a solo and small firm practitioner, Michael joined Wagonheim and Associates, LLC in 2006, where he continues to utilize his extensive experience in commercial, bankruptcy, and probate litigation to work with companies throughout the mid-Atlantic region.

Michael has served as a member of the adjunct faculty at the University of Baltimore School of Law teaching legal writing, with a concentration on appellate brief writing. He is also fluent in Spanish, and regularly represents members of Baltimore’s growing Latino community. Michael also serves on the Alumni Schools Committee of the Princeton Alumni Association of Maryland, annually interviewing applicants as part of Princeton’s admission process. Mike can be reached by email at mlentz@wagonheim.com.