The Corporate Transparency Act (the “CTA”) has been in place since 2020 when it was passed as part of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021; however, after a long administrative rulemaking process, the Beneficial Ownership Information (“BOI”) reporting requirements have only recently been finalized and will first become effective on January 1


This article was originally written for the Business Law Section blog of the State Bar of Wisconsin and appears here with the permission of the State Bar and the article’s authors.


THOMAS J. NICHOLS & JAMES DECLEENE

Thomas J. Nichols, Marquette 1979, is a shareholder with Meissner Tierney Fisher & Nichols S.C., Milwaukee

If you exclude attorneys fees for services (such as preparing an operating agreement and determining what additional filings, permits, etc. that the business will need to get up and running), the most basic cost to register or “organize” an LLC currently in Wisconsin online is $130.00 paid to the Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions, which

For decades, the US Government and 24 states have had laws regulating corporate spending to support or oppose candidates running for office. In a most extraordinary US Supreme Court case decided on Thursday, January 21, 2010, justices overruled parts of a 63 year old law which prohibited businesses and unions from producing and running their own campaign ads.Continue Reading Supreme Court OK’s Corporate Election Spending

When prices are constantly increasing, it is easy to say: "wouldn’t it be nice if prices would just fall as often as they go up?" I’ll tell you why the answer is "no," and discuss some business concepts directly dealing with this question.

In a perfect capitalist system (without government intervention), there are two inputs and two outputs:

Inputs

Outputs

Capital

Dividends

Labor

Wages

Continue Reading What Does Inflation Mean to Business?

1. How do I deal with problems?

Business is a chain of decisions. A good business person has to be able to make decisions. You don’t always have to be perfect: the teams that make the World Series can win two and lose two, but they then win the critial next game to be at 60% for the season. The same is true in business: mistakes will be made, but you have to be right more than wrong, and on critical issues, you have to be right most of the time. So if you don’t have the ability to deal with problems and make decisions, either pick a partner who does, or work for someone else who has that ability.

2. Am I a good  judge of people?

A good business person starts by selecting the right people. As Jim Collins says in Good to Great, you pick the right people to put on the bus, and then they will tell you what direction the bus should go. If I’m not willing or unable to be very focused on getting others who will work well in my business, then maybe I should see who has a business that I could help if I were on their team.

This goes beyond selecting good employees. It goes to selecting good customers and good vendors. If you have something to sell and only need to sell it to someone once, then maybe customer relations isn’t important. But, most businesses grow based on  long term relationships and referrals. Seek customers who need you as much as you need them.

Seek vendors who want long term relationships, as well, so that as you start out or if things get tough, they will extend accommodations to you to assure your business remains strong and healthy.

3. Am I passionate about what I want to do?

There are hot dog vendors and cupcake makers that are awesomely successful. They are passionate about their products and have developed a "core concept" to make their customers just as passionate. For example, "the best deal on two dogs and a drink in America, for just $4."Continue Reading 10 Questions to Ask Yourself Before Going into Business