News

Many people start businesses because they want to do a particular type of work as a career, or they want to be the boss. If you think self-employment means getting to do whatever it is you love to do forever, you’re somewhat mistaken: Self-employment is as much about selling yourself, your product, or your service, as anything else. And working for yourself, whether you are a freelancing copywriter or the owner of a small eBay business, brings up different challenges than those faced by people employed by others...

If you are a first-time book author, getting your book published is a daunting task. In 2009, the global economy is a mess and the book publishing business is struggling. Some major publishers have announced they are acquiring a lot fewer new titles this year; some are going so far as to freeze new title acquisitions...

Writing a romance novel may sound easy, but there is a lot to figure out before sending your book to a publisher. Writers need to consider setting, characters, how to approach plot outlines – even which parts of their stories to trash...

Have you ever noticed how some websites succeed, and some fade away? Of those that succeed, chances are the site owners have put a lot of time and effort into ensuring an optimal experience for their visitors...

A modern business plan needs to address the possible impact of the business on the environment. Lenders know that negative publicity about environmental problems in a business can reflect badly on the people financing the business, so they want to know that you have thought carefully about the environment in your planning...

License agreements imply ongoing payments. The example everyone talks about is Microsoft, which made its initial fortune by licensing makers of personal computers to install copies of Microsoft's Disk Operating System (DOS) on the computers they made...

A promissory note differs from an IOU in that an IOU simply acknowledges the existence of a debt owed, while a promissory note, as its name implies, contains an undertaking (promise) to pay the amount stated...

If you are starting a freelance business, you should know that a written agreement is the basis for a good working relationship between the client and the consultant or freelancer working as an independent contractor. Entering into any freelance task without a written agreement can be a serious mistake...

You should read your will at least once a year to make sure it is current. It is easier to add a codicil than to write a new will, but multiple codicils can be a problem for your estate...

Joshua and Ruth have lived together for a year. They are worried about family law being extended to cover common-law relationships, and have decided a cohabitation agreement is necessary in their situation. A business is involved...