April 1, 2014

Legal Dictionary—Terms

What are “terms”? Every business deal has layers of terms, some of which are more important than others.  We like to call these layers the boulders, rocks, and the sand. Boulders are the biggest terms, the deal breakers.  Often times these are non-negotiable. Rocks are the next level in.  They […]
April 1, 2014

Legal Dictionary—Letter of Intent

What is a “Letter of Intent”? A Letter of Intent, or term sheet, outlines the basic terms of a business deal, making sure the parties understand generally what it will look like and forcing them to think through what the deal breakers are.  It doesn’t do anyone any good to […]
November 6, 2013

Do-It-Yourself Contracts No. 1

Do-It-Yourself Contracts No. 1 Being an entrepreneur often means doing things yourself. But it doesn’t mean doing them badly. For the past 20 years, Fred had run his own software company. Like any good small-business owner, he wore many hats—HR department, payroll processor, accountant, and chief technical officer, to name a […]